Brother Fox, Sister Falcon: Path to Genin
by Night Hunter MGS
Summary: After the Kyuubi attack, one young kunoichi never felt hatered of Naruto. Instead, she felt connected to the boy. A connection formed between those who'd lost everything and everyone in their lives in one moment. And she will protect him. OC, AU, SI NH
1. Chapter 1

Brother Fox and Sister Falcon A Naruto fanfic by NightHunterMGS Category: Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance 

Warnings: AU (Alternate Universe), OC (Original Characters), SI (Self-Insert; well, sort of), violence, swearing, mild sexual content, possibly mild character bashing

Pairings: Naruto/Hinata, Kakashi/OC?/??

Summary: Many in Konoha lost family, but one young genin who lost her entire clan never felt rage at the young Naruto; instead she felt a connection shared between those who've lost everything. Fighting through adversity, this is the tale of how she'll make sure her precious person achieves his dreams.

Dedication: This story is inspired by and dedicated to my little sister Abigail, a.k.a. Mina.

Glossary 

"Naruto!" talking

"_Naruto!"_ thinking or thoughts

"Naruto!" mental communication

Chapter 1: The Loss of Family 

Normally, things were quiet in the Hokage's office. At least as quiet as any place located inside of an entire village filled with ninja can be. The Hokage was the strongest and wisest of all the village's ninja. Those who served under him were the most skilled and dedicated individuals available for their assigned tasks. Everyone here moved and worked with a direction and a purpose. They all acted in concert with their leader to serve as the calm within the eye of the storm that was Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Normally this was a place of confident serenity and order.

Today was not a normal day.

Today, chaos reigned in what was once the only calm and truly orderly place in Konoha.

Ninjas raced in and out, rushing messages in and trying to get their responses back out to the field as quickly as possible; a few messengers died from the strain they placed upon their bodies, trying to squeeze out those few extra seconds of vitally precious speed. Strategists were gathered closely around several maps, yelling at the top of their lungs and gesturing wildly, each one trying to let their fellows know why the plan that they had suggested was madness. ANBU, the elite ninjas, were taking one last moment to sharpen their blades and say a brief prayer to the spirits of their ancestors and the previous Hokages before they dashed off to the front, undoubtedly to their deaths. Bloodied jonins and chunins fresh from the frontlines stood before their superiors, giving their reports of the desperate battle in progress and pleading for reinforcements. Medic nins rummaged through desks, drawers, and cabinets, searching frantically for any bandages or medicines that they could take back to the badly under supplied and overflowing hospitals. Of the civilians there most were trying to organize fire brigades to combat the blaze sweeping over their village, but most knew it to be a hopeless task. Others were trying to keep track of the evacuations, trying to get the populace of Konoha to the safety of the hidden bunkers. Those that remained were the aides and office workers, fear plain in their faces as they fetched papers, maps, weapons, or whatever else the ninja needed in order to try and defend their home.

Yes, this wasn't any normal day, for today the demon fox Kyuubi had come to Konoha.

So in all of this chaos, it was understandable that one aide would grow confused. It was perfectly natural that they could be told to send orders to report to the front to a Hyuuga Miya, and that they'd think that they needed to send the orders to one Hayabusa Mina instead. In the din of the building, commands could easily be misheard and misunderstood. It was also forgivable that in the face of such dire circumstances, the frightened aide didn't even think about the fact that a girl who'd just graduated from the ninja academy only four months before would never be ordered to go on such a suicide mission. They just did as they believed that they'd been told to do, writing down the orders for Hayabusa Mina and attaching them to a messenger bird before sending it off in search of the thirteen year old girl. And so one of many orders that should never have been given that day was sent off, about to be delivered to an unwary young kunoichi who was far too young and still too innocent to die for such a senseless reason.

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"Shinji-kun! Yoko-chan! Mattai-sensei! Where are you?!"

Hayabusa Mina, newly made genin and youngest child of the not particularly prestigious yet powerful Hayabusa clan, was scared. Not a usual occurrence at all. Towering over many children her age at nearly five feet and six inches tall, she was a strong willed, imposing, and vibrant young woman. Fear was not something she was very well acquainted with, as she tended to relentlessly attack problems head on. But the problems before her were too large, too overwhelming to imagine yet much less overcome. And so for one of the few times in her life, Mina was afraid.

Squad Twelve, her squad, had been assigned to what should have been a safe assignment, far away from the fighting. Under the guidance of Mattai-sensei, she and her two friends Shinji and Yoko had been guarding one of the marketplaces on the eastern side of Konoha, protecting the wares from looters. Kyuubi had been seen approaching from the west, so the eastern marketplace was deemed to be far enough away from the expected battlefield to be relatively safe for a group of young genin. Mina and the others weren't stupid. They knew that their assigned mission was mainly meant to keep them out of the way so that the more experienced ninja could go and fight. Not that any of them minded being left out of the action. What sane person, even a ninja, would actually want to attack a demon lord head on?

It was supposed to be safe here. So what in the nine hells had gone wrong?

Shinji had been smiling broadly and waving his arms around excitedly as he told yet another of his lame jokes; she could tell that he was trying to lighten the mood and appreciated it, but couldn't he come up with any better material? Yoko was slowly rubbing the prayer beads her grandmother had given her for her eighth birthday between her fingers, absently playing with the ends of her pigtails as she glanced towards the west, towards where Kyuubi was fast approaching from. Mina knew how she felt, Yoko's parents and her own had both been placed in the first wave of ninjas going to attack Kyuubi along with the majority of her relatively small clan. By the end of the day they could both very well be orphans. Mina herself kept running her hands through her short, golden wheat colored hair, taking comfort from the feel of soft silky hair flowing through her finger tips. Even Mattai-sensei, usually a show of unflappable calm, had been uneasy. Yet still they stood their posts, each one taking comfort from the knowledge that the others were right there next to them.

Then suddenly, a flaming piece of debris sent flying from the battle miles away had come crashing down in their midst, scattering them. Mina had tried to keep track of her teammates, she really had. But the smoke had flooded into her gentle brown eyes, robbing her of her vision. She thought that she'd heard Yoko scream at one point, as if the other girl had been in pain. Then the first of the explosions started, broken gas lines set on fire from the blazing bits of wood and paper. The kunoichi just flung herself behind a nearby dumpster, hands covering her ears as the world shook around her, tears streaming down her face. She just felt so afraid. She thought that she heard somebody screaming again during the explosions, only to realize when they stopped five minutes later that the one who'd been screaming was herself.

Now she stood in the middle of the devastated street alone and lost, smoke and flame all around her, and the Kyuubi's roars clearly heard in the distance. Searching through the billowing clouds of smoke looking for her friends, her sensei, anyone at all, Mina was overjoyed to catch a glimpse of Yoko's familiar pigtails coming from around a corner. Relief flooding her body, the girl dashed towards her friend. "Yoko-chan! You're alright! I was so worried Yoko-chan! I was so afraid by myself! Yes you smart ass, I admitted to being afraid! Laugh it up while you can blondie, 'cause I'm gonna…"

Whatever Mina was going to say next caught in her throat as the smoke cleared, and she had a horrifyingly clear view of her best friend since childhood. Yoko was slumped against a wall, glazed eyes looking up towards the sky as blood trickled from her wide open mouth, the same blood that was splattered across the wall behind her. Lodged right between her breasts, a wickedly jagged piece of aluminum siding protruded from her chest, going straight through her heart and keeping her pinned upright against the building. The prayer beads were still in her hand, the pure white beads turned crimson by the blood flowing out over them as they dangled from the girl's limp fingers. Mina took a step back in shock, only to stumble over something and fall right onto her back. Turning to see what it was that she'd tripped over, the girl bit back a scream as she saw Shinji's severed head lying at her feet, face forever twisted into a look of surprise.

Hurling herself away from the scene of carnage, Mina crouched down on all fours and promptly emptied the contents of her stomach. Desperately, she repeated the code of the shinobi over and over again, the words becoming a mantra to keep her sane. "Ninja rule twenty-five…. A shinobi will show no emotion… Ninja rule twenty-five… A shinobi will show no emotion… Rule twenty-five…"

"Mina."

Startled, the girl looked up into the pale white eyes of Mattai-sensei. Staring into the solid colored eyes that were the mark of the Hyuuga clan. "Se-sen-sensei… They… They're… They are… Are…"

"Dead, Mina. They're dead. There's nothing more you can do for them."

Even though to most people he would seem as calm and detached as ever, Mina could tell after nearly five months of working with him that Mattai-sensei was holding back his own tears even as hers flowed freely. Before anything else could be said, a messenger bird flew through the smoke and perched upon her shoulder, holding the leg a message was tied to out for her inspection. Taking the message in shaky hands, she quietly unrolled the scroll. Reading the contents, her eyes widened as she turned to her sensei in disbelief. "I… I've been… Summoned to the front lines. My orders are to report to the forward commanders and immediately engage the Kyuubi as soon as I'm properly prepared to do so."

At this, Mattai's precious Hyuuga calm left him as shock was clearly written across his face. "That's insane! No matter how desperate the battle is there's no way that genin would be thrown into the fighting! It must be a mistake, Mina! A clerical error! Don't go! Don't throw your life away over a pointless thing such as someone else's mistake!"

Hyuuga Mattai was horrified to see his last remaining student rise to her feet, the normally bright eyes dead and lifeless. She was a ninja, now considered an adult of the village in her own right. But she still seemed so young, too young to have her innocence ripped away from her in such a manner. Mina's voice was quiet and monotone, as if her spirit had been destroyed beyond repair. "My orders are to report to the front. A ninja's life is to follow the orders they are given, even if it could mean their death. You're the one that taught me that, remember sensei? I will carry out my orders."

Turning to the northwest, in the direction of her house, Mina walked solemnly through the ruined city. She would restock her supply of kunai and shuriken, perhaps take a few scrolls, and then report to the front as she was ordered. After all, it seemed like there really wasn't any place safe from the monster, so she might as well go down fighting. Pausing, she looked back behind her and bowed one last time to her sensei. Head lowered, her voice was a mere whisper that the jonin just barely caught. "Goodbye, Mattai-sensei."

Then she was gone, the smoke and flame obscuring his sight of her as she walked away. Inside himself, Mattai felt his proud heart break. In just a few short months, his students had become the best thing in his life. And now, two of them were dead, and the third was marching straight towards her own death. Voice sad and empty in the deserted streets, he too uttered a final farewell. "Goodbye, Mina. You were the best young kunoichi I'd seen in nearly a dozen years. It was my honor to teach you, to teach all of you. I just wish that I could have protected you all better."

With a bitter smile, Mattai turned and ran as fast as he could towards the west. Running towards the demon that had caused and would cause the death of his precious students. He'd be certain to reach the battlefield long before Mina could. As he ran, he had one final thought. _"Don't worry Mina, your friends and your sensei will all be waiting for you on the other side."_

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Solemnly, Mina strode through the emptied halls of the Hayabusa home. Everyone was off fighting the Kyuubi… As she would soon be. Deep in her heart, she knew that her parents and most of her kin were probably already dead. The Hayabusa weren't as large or as well regarded as the Hyuuga, the Uchiha, or even the Nara clans. But they were all powerful and determined shinobi whose battle prowess and ferocity made them ideal frontline troops, ensuring that most if not all of them had probably been sent out in the first wave against the Kyuubi. Her clan was proud and brave, and none of them would back down even in the face of the inevitable death the Kyuubi brought down upon those who opposed it. Even if by some miracle this battle against the demon fox didn't prove to be the death of Konoha, it would still almost certainly be the end of her clan.

Finally coming to her room, she cracked the door open and slipped inside. Her room was a fairly plain affair. It was kept very neat and tidy, as sloppiness would not be tolerated in her family's home and she didn't spend much time here anyway. The walls were unpainted and adorned with only one or two wall scrolls containing shinobi protocols and sayings popular with her clan. Several potted plants including shoots of bamboo were gathered in front of her windows; the bamboo was supposed to be a symbol of good luck and Hayabusas put nearly as much stock in luck as they put in their skills. Of course, she also personally enjoyed the sense of peace and serenity the plants brought to her room and as an added bonus in the event of an attack the larger pots could be used as cover. Off to the side was her desk, covered in opened scrolls and scribbled notes created from late nights spent studying new jutsus and ninja abilities. Near it were the floor mats, training weights, and punching bag that made up her own personal training space where she would practice her taijutsu stances and moves until she collapsed onto her unmade bed in exhaustion. Her truly valued possessions were the large bookshelves stuffed to overflowing with scrolls, training manuals, and ninja textbooks covering everything from the proper way to throw a kunai and the history of fire jutsus to emergency first aid and lists of common poisons. One of the primary mottoes of her clan was "knowledge is the deadliest weapon", and she had long taken that attitude to heart. By the massive bookshelves were several smaller shelves containing her extra medical pouches, shuriken holsters, attack and technique scrolls, a few senbon needles, and her spare kunai. Really, her room was rather Spartan as she just used it for training, reading, and sleeping. Just hanging around her house really wasn't her style.

Replenishing her shuriken and kunai, she noticed that her fishnet shirt had been ripped and her light flack jacket, common wear for her family who always dressed as though they were about to be thrust into battle, was riddled by wooden splinters thrown by the explosions back in the marketplace. The place where Yoko and Shinji had… Ruthlessly suppressing the memories of her dead teammates, Mina tore off the ruined body armor and her torn fishnet turtleneck shirt, deeming the black tank-top underneath them to be in good enough condition as were her sturdy camouflage pants and her steel plated combat boots. Striding angrily over to her closet, she grabbed a new fishnet shirt and armored jacket. Donning the new clothes, she readjusted her forehead protector on her head, making sure that even in the midst of chaos and her own feelings that the symbol of her home village was borne proudly. Sticking a few jutsu scrolls in their appropriate pouches on her pants and belt, she glanced in the mirror by her training area. She looked exactly as a ninja should, deadly serious and prepared for anything. Turning on her heel, the girl quickly made her way out of the room.

Or she would have, if there hadn't been a large man decked out in full ANBU gear and wearing a facemask carved in the shape of a hungry falcon standing in her doorway. "Going somewhere, imouto?"

The figure reached up and removed the mask, revealing the face of Mina's oldest brother, Hayabusa Zin, member of ANBU and future head of the clan. Mina couldn't help but gulp slightly in his presence. For as long as she could remember, Zin had been her hero and protector. He was so kind to her, spending time with her, giving her gifts, and teaching her everything he knew. There were few people that she loved quite as much as she loved him. But despite that love and admiration, she wasn't blind to her brother's darker nature. After all, you don't become a member of the infamous Torture and Interrogation Black Ops squad by having a pleasant disposition. Zin was, to put it simply, a sadist. Blood and pain was his art, the human body his canvas, and the piercing screams of his victims a symphony from which he drew inspiration to bring forth greater amounts of pain, fear, and suffering. The weapon he always carried with him, a device of his own invention which he'd named a chainsword, earning him the nickname of the "Chainsaw Ninja", best portrayed this sadistic glee of his. It was basically an extremely large and thick sword with the middle of the cutting edge hollowed out and about a dozen shuriken set into it by pegs placed through the holes in the center of the throwing stars. When chakra was forced into the blade it would cause the shuriken to spin at a furious pace, cutting apart anything the whirling blades came into contact with in a spray of blood and gore. Needless to say, Zin loved it as it perfectly suited his style of combat, charge in headfirst and hit everything that wasn't an ally until it stopped twitching. It was confusing for Mina sometimes, to know that her brother could be so sweet and kind one minute and a vicious monster the next.

When she didn't answer immediately, Zin maneuvered his bulk through the doorway so that he was standing right in front of her. Those who didn't know him personally would sometimes comment that it was surprising that somebody as heavy and fat as he was could still be such a relatively nimble and quick ninja. Zin would just shrug and tell them that it was all part of the trials that went with being married to a member of the Akimichi clan. Personally, Mina loved his scruffy beard and layers of flab. It gave him the appearance of a big, cuddly teddy bear. But while he was staring down at her with a slight scowl on his face and dressed in full ANBU garb with his wicked sword slung over his shoulder, he was anything but sweet or cuddly. Curtly, he demanded an answer. "I asked you a question, Mina."

Snapping out of her brief stupor, the kunoichi glared up at him, eyes defiantly meeting his. "How about first you answer what you're doing here instead of fighting on the frontlines, nii-chan?"

The answer didn't come from Zin, but from behind him. "The psycho here and I were passing by the Hokage tower on our way to the front, when we ran across an aide who'd just finished releasing a messenger bird. Imagine our surprise when we learned that he'd just issued orders to our baby sister for her to report to the front. Zin nearly cut the poor bastard in half when he heard that."

From around Zin came a second man, this one wearing glasses and the standard uniform of a jonin. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and a nearly perpetual smile was spread across his face. This was Mina's second older brother, Alix. Alix looked a lot like Zin, even though they were four years apart in age. The two brothers however were as different as possible, in fact being complete opposites in many ways. Where Zin was serious and focused, Alix was laid back and carefree. While Zin was usually dark and unfriendly, Alix was cheerful and extremely friendly. Few could understand how someone as seemingly happy and peaceful as Alix could possibly be a ninja, at least until they challenged him to a game of shogi or another test of strategy. When he viciously and relentlessly demolished them in whatever game of strategy they were playing, people began to comprehend just what made Alix so terribly dangerous that he was a veteran jonin at the age of nineteen. Whereas Zin was a close combat and interrogation specialist, Alix was an expert at strategy and research. He'd tirelessly study an opponent just as he would an open scroll, and as soon as he saw a weakness he'd exploit it in such a way that his foe would have no chance to recover and then the methodical slaughter would begin. In his own way, he was as dangerous as Zin if not more so.

With a sigh, Zin brought his free hand up and smacked Alix across the back of his head. The younger brother cursed as small, false tears sprung up into his eyes and he rubbed the back of his head with both hands. "Ow! Damnit, you sadistic bastard! What the hell did you do that for?!"

Zin's grin was one of amusement. "Baka. I didn't cut him in half, I just took off his left pinky finger. Besides, I rather felt like hitting you, dumb-ass."

Mina stifled a giggle as her two older siblings squabbled like children. Not many realized that this was just how Zin and Alix got along. The two were actually surprisingly close despite their differences. And when they worked together, their different skills complemented each other perfectly. Separately, each was a capable and powerful shinobi more than worthy of their high ranks and respected positions. But when they fought side by side and back to back, they were a force that was known in the bingo books as "The Brothers of Death".

Her giggling broke them out of their playful fighting and refocused their attention on her. Alix grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Zin on the other hand glared, completely serious once more. "Back to the matter at hand. You still haven't answered my question, sister."

Again, a flare of defiance rose up within the girl and she returned the glare with equal venom. Alix actually cringed, while Zin was secretly impressed and pleased with her death glare since he knew from experience that it alone could totally break lesser opponents. Still, he kept up his own glare, even as she began shouting at him. "I don't have to answer to you, Zin! You don't command me! You're not head of the clan yet, big brother!"

Both Zin and Alix looked stricken at that. The younger brother turned his head away from her while the eldest of the three siblings bowed his head so that both of their expressions were unreadable. Zin's reply was less than a whisper, but it almost seemed to echo in the suddenly silent room. "Yes, I am."

That simple statement threw Mina off more than anything else possibly could have. "Wh-wha?"

Alix took up the explanation for Zin, his expression grim for once. "The latest reports from the front came in just twenty minutes ago. With the exception of the three of us, all the members of the Hayabusa clan, including mother and father, were already on the frontlines. All forty-nine members of the clan at the front spearheaded the first assault. All forty-nine personally engaged the Kyuubi. All forty-nine have been confirmed killed in action. The three of us are all that's left, Mina. Zin really is now head of the Hayabusa clan, such as it is."

She'd known that the majority of her clan was most likely dead. Logic would suggest that few would survive an encounter with the nine-tailed demon fox. But still the entire clan? Her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends gone? All of them dead, just like that, without even a chance to say goodbye? Every single member of her entire clan killed in battle, except for just the three of them? The revelation was too much for her, and the stoic mask she bore broke as Mina once again began sobbing. Alix knelt down and held her while Zin began talking again, struggling to remain expressionless. "Alix and I are still needed at the front, and as jonin and ANBU we're obligated to be there. But you're just a genin. I don't care what you've been told to do, stay here Mina."

Mina looked up at her eldest brother, eyes wide and frantic. "No! Brother, I won't stay! Take me with you!"

Finally losing his temper, Zin started yelling at her. "Damnit Mina! Don't you get it?! You're the last hope of the clan! You need to survive, to keep our traditions and beliefs alive! So that the Hayabusa clan doesn't fade away into complete obscurity! Protecting the well being and continuance of our family line is second only to our duty to Konoha, and it is a task only you have a chance of carrying out! If you go to the front you'll definitely die, and our heritage will die with you! So I'm ordering you, as your older brother, as your acting clan head, and as a ninja of superior rank, to disregard your orders to report to the front and remain here at home!"

Tears pouring from her eyes, the distraught girl shook her head violently. "No… No… I… I have to go to the front. I must…"

Quickly Alix turned her to face him, eyes scared as he clenched her shoulders. "Sister, you're speaking madness! For the love of the kami, use reason! The orders are obviously a mistake! As a genin you'd only be getting in the way of the more experienced ninja! Stay here! Live!"

Face down, Mina's voice became dead and lifeless. "Live for what? To be alone? To be the sole survivor of a dead clan? To live without a purpose or a reason to keep going on? Why would you possibly desire such a life for me when death sounds more preferable, brother?"

"Mina, I…"

Her head came up, face collected and deadly calm with pride and determination radiating off of her. "I am a kunoichi of Konohagakure, of the clan Hayabusa. I shall run from no enemy. I shall never hesitate to protect my home and those I care for. And I shall never hide from my duty. I shall carry out my orders, and fight and die as a ninja should. You and Zin taught me these things, and I will not forget them now when they matter the most. This I swear on the souls of our departed kin."

Smiling sadly, Alix couldn't keep a few stray tears from his eyes as he held onto her shoulders. "Brave, determined, foolish Mina. Stubborn and dedicated to the end. You are a true Hayabusa and a fine kunoichi, one whom I'm proud to call sister. No words we can say will keep you here will they? I'm not surprised, I figured as much. In that case, remember that Zin and I love you very much, and I hope that you can forgive us."

Without any further words, Alix nodded to Zin where he was standing right behind the young genin. Mina didn't even have a chance to turn around before she felt the sharp blow to the back of her neck. Slumping into Alix's arms, she could feel consciousness fading as he gently laid her onto the floor. The last thing she saw before her world turned completely black was her brothers walking away from her side by side, walking forever out of her life.

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Silence reigned between Zin and Alix as they walked through the deserted streets of their hometown. Both were deep in thought as they slowly approached the battlefield, conserving their energy for what was to come. Finally, it was Alix who broke the silence. "You know, she's going to be pissed off as all hell when she finally wakes up. And she's going to hate you for a long time for this."

Zin just grunted in acknowledgement, eyes focused on the towering flames coming from the battlefront. "Good. That means that she'll be alive to hate me. That's all the comfort I need right now. Besides, she's the only reason I have left for living besides Konoha and you, and I want to make sure that at least one person I care about makes it through this."

"The only reason? But Zin, what about..."

The elder Hayabusa didn't give his younger brother a chance to finish that sentence, hand whipping forward in a flash and giving Alix a brutal smack to the back of his head. Yelping in pain, the jonin turned to yell at Zin before he noticed something he hadn't seen in years. There were tears in Zin's eyes, and the mask of the psychotic ANBU was lowered to show the other side of the man, the side full of compassion and caring. It was the face of a man who'd been utterly broken. A man who'd lost the most important thing in the world to him.

Zin turned away to dry his tears, voice barely a whisper. "Don't. Don't say her name, Alix. If I hear it, I know that I'll break down and become unable to fight. And I need to fight, for her, for both families that I've lost today."

Dread filled Alix as he got a very clear idea of what Zin was talking about. "She didn't."

The unmasked ANBU just tilted his head back and laughed bitterly, causing Alix to wince at the broken sound. "Of course she did, Alix. Since when have you known my wife to back down, even when she should know better? She went to the front right alongside her father-in-law and mother-in-law, off to face the Kyuubi despite her orders not to. Kimi went to the front in spite of my protests and pleading. It's sick in a way, because I want to be angry with her but the only thing I feel besides sorrow is pride in my beautiful wife's unbreakable spirit. It makes me think that our child would have been the most stubborn ass ever born."

Alix didn't know what he could possibly say to his brother in the face of such a great personal tragedy. Akimichi Kimi had entered Zin's life six years ago, when the two faced each other in the finals of the jonin exams. It was a fight that had been talked about even years later, a fight that Zin was only able to win after hours of wearing his opponent down. And by the end of the fight, the young man was smitten, not surprising as he'd always had a thing for strong women. He'd treated her to a drink when the exams were over, and within a year the two were known as a committed couple. Alix had stood as Zin's best man just three years ago, and it always amazed him how two people could be so deeply in love, especially two ninjas. He'd truly adored his sister-in-law even if Zin had picked up her clan's eating habits; she'd been beautiful, strong of body and will, and fun to be around. She'd also been five months pregnant with her and Zin's first child, a fact that should have made her exempt from frontline duty, but still she went. And now like so many others, she was dead. It was no wonder Zin was on the edge of breaking as it was just as he'd said, he'd lost two families today the one that he'd known his entire life and the one he'd just started.

Composing himself, Zin wiped away his tears, resuming the mask of violence and indifference. Walking towards the front again, he turned briefly towards his younger brother. "What about you? What happened to your team that you're also so willing to throw away your life for a shot at the fox's ugly face?"

Alix was able to keep himself from tears as all he felt was a roaring anger inside of himself, an anger that he normally kept contained beneath his cheerful mask but allowed himself to show this once as his face twisted in rage. "My genins were helping to evacuate the Academy of any remaining students when the flames reached it. They were trapped and couldn't perform any jutsu with the smoke choking their lungs and blinding their eyes. I arrived just in time to hear their terrified screams as the last of the timbers gave way and the flaming building collapsed on them. I know that at least one of them was still alive and conscious when the fire reached them because I heard their agonized screams, as they were burned alive. I need to see the thing that caused their deaths with my own eyes, and I need to see it hurt and killed."

Zin nodded in acceptance, and silence fell between them again as they kept walking. They were closer now, close enough to hear the shouting of ninja fighting and dying over the Kyuubi's deafening roars. Alix broke the silence again, turning to his big brother with just a hint of fear in his eyes. "We're not going to walk away from this one, are we Zin?"

The answer was short, brutally honest, and to the point. "Nope."

Looking at Alix, Zin gave a confident smirk. "There's no chance in hell that we'll survive what's going to come, little brother. But such is the shinobi's life, to hurl themselves at their enemies until they finally come up against a challenge they're not prepared for. We are going to die, and we're going to die gloriously. The Brothers of Death have one last dance with the reaper before them, and it's best that we're not late."

Alix returned the smirk, his brother's words making him feel more prepared for his own end. "Indeed Zin, it is a good day to die."

The two stopped and stared at each other, before breaking out laughing. It was a good laugh, an honest laugh. A laugh shared between two brothers who were closer than anyone could possibly understand or imagine. It was the laughter of two soldiers who knew their duties and were content with their fates. Alix wiped away mirthful tears, chuckling lightly. "Hoooo, boy. You could cut the cheese here with a knife, eh? Seriously bro, could you think of anything cheesier to say than that?"

Zin snorted. "What I said was cheesy? Look who's talking! 'It's a good day to die' indeed! Could you get any more cliché?"

"Heh-heh, probably."

Their personal masks down, the brothers smiled at each other before embracing. They had been through everything together, and this would be no different. They would die together, die protecting their home, and die keeping their little sister safe. There was nothing else they could ask for. Breaking apart, they thumped their chests in salute, repeating one of the most loved phrases of the Hayabusa clan, used before entering battle. "Strength and honor."

Removing his sword from it's sheath on his back, Zin sent chakra into it causing the shuriken implanted in the blade to come spinning to life with a furious whirring sound. Sword held aloft, the ANBU sprinted through the woods, knowing he'd be at the site of the battle in seconds. Alix was right behind him, kunai and explosive tags held at the ready. Turning back to glance at his brother without slowing down, Zin couldn't resist one final joking insult. "Come on, slowpoke! The next world is waiting for us!"

Laughing, Alix followed closely behind and the two disappeared amongst the trees.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The young genius ANBU, Kakashi, panted deeply as sweat poured into his one visible eye while he tried to catch his breath. To either sides of him were hundreds of his fellow leaf nins, launching kunai and powering up powerful jutsus at their enemy. Before him was the Kyuubi, the legendary nine tailed demon fox, and the doom of many loyal Konoha ninja this day. Behind him was Konohagakure itself, his home, the powerful Village Hidden in the Leaves whose strength and power couldn't hope to compare to that of the monster approaching it. His teenaged body exhausted, the young ninja had a single thought going over and over in his mind as he watched more and more ninja fall like leaves before a hurricane. _"This isn't working."_

Five times. Five times, they'd attacked, throwing hundreds of skilled shinobi at the demon fox in waves, hoping to slow it down or force it to retreat. And five times, they'd been swatted away like gnats. The casualties were mounting, as dozens of shinobi died for every minute of time they bought, extra time bought with blood. If Konoha survived, the amount of names placed upon the memorial stone would be enormous. He'd seen the entire Hayabusa clan torn to shreds just an hour ago. At his feet was the mangled corpse of a Hyuuga, Mattai he thought the man's name had been. Slowly, bit by bit, the ninja population of Konoha was going extinct.

Kakashi really wished Obito and Rin were here right now, for in the presence of the demon bearing down upon him he like many other shinobi were on the verge of running in fear. They had no chance of defeating something so powerful. There was no hope, none at all. It was only a matter of time before their lines broke and then…

"HOLD THE LINE!!!"

Startled, Kakashi and many others glanced behind them to see two ninjas, an ANBU and a jonin, racing towards them from the rear. The ANBU Kakashi recognized as Hayabusa Zin, one of his superiors within the ANBU unit. The other one must be Hayabusa Alix, Zin's younger brother. It seemed that two members of the Hayabusa clan were still alive after all. Kakashi expected that the two were coming to join the defensive line. But to his shock and horror, the brothers ran past the lines… Headed right for the Kyuubi.

Tuning out the shouts of those beside him for the two to come back to the lines, Kakashi watched in terrified awe as the two shinobi laid into the fox. Zin would come in on the left, his signature weapon ripping at the Kyuubi's ankles. The second the fox turned to confront him, Alix would dart in from the right and scatter explosive tags over its back. While their target was temporarily blinded and deafened by the explosions, the brothers quickly performed the hand seals for jutsus and released them at once before backing away to renew their attack. And each jutsu they unleashed perfectly complimented each other. If Zin used a water jutsu, Alix would use a lightning jutsu to strengthen the effects of the combined attacks. And if Alix used a powerful fire jutsu Zin would throw up a weaker earth jutsu in front of it, sending burning hot chunks of magma hurtling at the demon. The two moved in perfect unison, in perfect synch, and with perfect unity. To those observing, it was almost as if they were dancing with the demon, a complex and dangerous dance of death. Kakashi had never seen anything so violently beautiful before.

But as with any battle, it was only a matter of time before something went horribly wrong.

Zin was getting tired very quickly, pushing himself to the brink of chakra exhaustion. Normally, a ninja conserved their chakra supply carefully, using the bare minimum that was required. As has already been stated, today was not a normal day and this was not a normal situation. Currently the bearded ANBU was running at over a hundred and twenty percent of his overall chakra capacity, and had been doing so for close to five minutes straight now. Pushing chakra into his chainsword, pouring it into his body and limbs to speed up his reflexes and make himself faster and stronger, and rapidly performing dozens of high powered jutsus one after another all at once was taxing his concentration and draining his chakra reserves faster than he went through a pot of coffee in the morning. If not for his training and strength the effort probably would have killed him already, and if the Kyuubi didn't take his life chakra exhaustion certainly would after the battle was done.

As exhausted and focused on the fight as he was, it wasn't surprising that he missed seeing the tree root sticking out of the ground next to his left foot when he sidestepped away from the Kyuubi's tail coming down at him like a club. Tripping over it, Zin was too surprised and tired from his constant use of chakra to recover and found himself sprawled on the forest floor. The demon fox noticed his dilemma, and decided to take the opportunity to rid itself of one of the insects pestering it. Shakily getting to his feet, Zin looked up in fear as he saw the massive jaws descending upon him. He didn't have either the strength or the chakra left to get out of the way in time. This was the end. Suddenly something plowed into him from the side, sending him flying to safety from the demon's maw. Looking back, Zin's blood chilled even as he felt unsurprised to see Alix standing there in his place, kunai upraised as the jonin stood defiantly before his killer.

A flash of teeth, the sound of rending flesh and splintering bone, and it was over. Alix was gone, just a splatter of blood and a few shreds of cloth left where he stood. In the middle of the pool of blood was Alix's forehead protector, the fabric torn and the metal plate punctured along one edge where the Kyuubi's fangs had gone straight through it.

Zin stared at that spot where what little remained of his brother lay, and he felt new energy surge into his body. It wasn't chakra, he knew that much. No, this energy was fueled by pure, blinding rage. The rage that Zin had known his whole life. The fury that he crept closer and closer to every time he killed or tortured someone but had managed to keep in check just barely. But now, there was nothing left. Nothing for him to protect from his own inner darkness. Hayabusa Zin, ANBU of Konohagakure and last male heir of the Hayabusa clan, welcomed the rage with open arms and let it take him over.

Everyone flinched, eyes wide as Zin lunged at the Kyuubi, a piercing cry of rage shadowing all other sounds upon the battlefield. Lips pulled back in a feral snarl more at home on the face of a maddened animal than the face of a man, teeth bared, the ANBU attacked with a fury that put all the other attacks against the fox demon tonight to shame. Gone was any strategy, tactics, or discretion. Only bloody, violent anger remained.

Kakashi watched, forcing himself not to look away from the form of his superior as the ninja fought against the towering demon completely alone. Zin twirled and twisted, evading Kyuubi's jaws and tails as he surged forward. Within seconds, he was right where he wanted to be, directly underneath the fox's belly and surrounded by its massive legs. Now his work could begin. Like a possessed lumberjack, Zin began hacking furiously at the tree-sized legs around him. There was no rhyme or reason to his movements, no grander strategy, just the unbridled aggression of a ninja who'd snapped and lost what little remained of their humanity. Those watching knew that Zin was no longer a man, but an uncaged beast in human form. And it terrified them.

Even the Kyuubi itself began to feel a small welling of panic in its heart. The pest was actually hurting it! It, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, most powerful Demon Lord in the world, was being hurt by one lone mortal where countless others had failed to even scratch it! And from where the shinobi was positioned, it had no chance to retaliate! In mild desperation, the demon fox leapt back, bringing the leaf nin back within its field of vision. Before Zin could respond and renew his assault, the Kyuubi inhaled deeply then released a gout of flame right at the bloodied and battered ANBU. There was no chance to dodge, and the black clad figure disappeared within the raging inferno created by the demonic attack.

Letting out a slight breath of relief, the kitsune focused its attention back upon the line of defenders between it and the village. It relished the renewed looks of unadulterated fear upon the faces of those opposing it. That is, until it realized that they weren't looking at it, but towards the bonfire it had just created. It was at that point that it heard a laugh, a chilling, psychotic laugh filled with madness. Even a lord of demons could feel a shudder roll down its spine from hearing that laugh. Turning towards the dying flames, the Kyuubi hoped that it wouldn't see what it expected to see.

Standing there, laughing even while wreathed in fire, was the form of Hayabusa Zin.

"Ha! Stupid fox! You underestimate us! Never forget this! A ninja, even a mere mortal, can become a demon in how they face their death!"

The silver haired teenager continued watching; willing himself not to look away or even to blink as the flaming wreck of his fellow ANBU member launched himself up into the air. Soaring through the burning skies, Zin was a flaming arrow headed straight for the Kyuubi's face. With all his strength, the ANBU brought the weapon that he'd forged himself down upon the demon, screaming a war cry as he plummeted towards his enemy.

"FOR KONOHA!!!"

Shaken, the Kyuubi jerked back, causing the whirling and energy infused blades of Zin's weapon to only glance across its right cheek. But it was still enough force to cut deep, deep enough to leave a scar. Falling back to earth, Zin crouched, blade still held at the ready as if he were going to attack again. Looking up at the destroyer of his family, Zin gave a bloodthirsty grin as the flames continued to consume his flesh. Then, slowly, the finally spent ninja collapsed to the ground and laid still. The heir to the Hayabusa clan had followed his brother into the great beyond.

For a long moment, there was silence. Then, inspired and fortified by the example of two brothers with nothing to lose, the lines of shinobi let lose a single, unified shout.

"FOR KONOHA!"

To his surprise, Kakashi found himself shouting with them as they renewed their defense. For the first time in a long time, he felt connected to his fellow ninja, part of something greater than himself or any of the rest of them. The rest of the battle was a blur for the young ANBU as kunai flew and shouts rang out.

"Hold the lines!"

"We need to keep it from the village!"

"Hold it until the Hokage can arrive!"

"It's him! The Hokage is here!"

There was the gigantic form of the summoned frog boss Gama Bunta, the Fourth Hokage riding on top of his head, facing against the rampaging demon. Then there was a flash of light and gust of wind from Kakashi's sensei, and it was all over. The Kyuubi was gone, and with them the village's beloved leader along with so many others. With the battle finished, Kakashi found himself standing over the burnt corpse of Hayabusa Zin. The man's skin was black and cracked open, showing the exposed flesh underneath. The entire right side of his face was melted off, the skin and hair fusing into one solid mass of charred body matter. And yet, Zin was smiling. Kakashi thought that perhaps, he was at peace, knowing that his duty had been done.

Zin's forehead protector had fallen off, most of the cloth burned completely away and the metal plate warped and melted away in places. It might have been coincidence or perhaps something more, but Zin's forehead protector had fallen right next to Alix's. The two symbols of a Konoha ninja lay side by side, just as the brothers had always been together both in life and in death. Reverently, Kakashi knelt down and picked up the marred pieces of cloth and metal with his gloved hands. The two Hayabusa brothers had died as true heroes of Konoha, just below the Fourth Hokage and just above his dead friend Obito in Kakashi's opinion.

Forehead protectors in hand, Kakashi turned back towards Konoha. If he remembered Zin's tales of the man's family correctly, the two brothers had a younger sister. Zin had even shown him a picture once, a picture of a golden brown haired girl just a couple of years younger then himself. And Kakashi hadn't seen her at the battle, understandable since she was still a genin. It was entirely possible that the girl was still alive, the last of her clan. Tabling his own grief over his teacher's passing and pushing it to the side, Kakashi began the trek back to the village. He knew that he had to find Hayabusa Mina and tell her. He had to tell her how her brothers had died.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

With a start, Mina surged awake, hand going immediately to the back of her neck as she winced in pain. She wasn't shy about voicing her discomfort either. "OUCH! Goddamn bastard! That fucking hurt Zin!"

She had no way of knowing just how long she'd been out for. Zin may have preferred a more violent and messy form of combat, but as an interrogator he also knew hundreds of pressure points and other ways to quickly knock out an opponent. And she should know, he'd taught her most of them after all.

Rising shakily to her feet, Mina knew that something was different. Something had changed from when she first went under. She just couldn't place it. What was different? What had changed? Then with a sudden realization, Mina understood what the difference was. Kyuubi's roars and the sounds of battle. She couldn't hear them anymore.

Hope flaring inside of her, Mina raced to the window and looked in the direction of where the demon had been. There was nothing. The demon fox was gone, and Konoha still stood. She could also see lines of shinobi marching back into the village, subdued but still obviously victorious. Mina almost couldn't believe it, but the proof was there in front of her eyes. The Kyuubi had been defeated. Against all odds, they'd won.

Hope welled within the young genin as she watched the ninjas returning and the civilians emerging from the shelters. All throughout the village, joyful reunions were taking place as families and friends found each other after the chaos and destruction. It filled her with hope, making her think that perhaps her brothers were back on the way home as well. She imagined Zin ready to flee from her wrath as soon as she saw him and Alix more than prepared to mock his brother for fearing the anger of a teenage girl half his age. The girl could almost see them walking up the path to the house. She purposefully ignored the other scenes before her, of people dropping to their knees and wailing in grief as they learned of the deaths of friends and loved ones.

Mina was shaken from her hopeful thoughts by the sounds of knocking coming from the compound gates. The sound made her heart freeze in fear. Zin and Alix wouldn't stop to knock on the gates of their own home; they would have come right in. Maybe they were hurt and in the hospital? Maybe it was somebody coming to let her know. She was again shaken out of her thoughts by more knocking, this time more insistent. Moving away from the window overlooking the streets of Konoha, Mina raced out of her home and across the Hayabusa compound's grounds, quickly making her way to the gates.

Flinging the gates open, the girl was startled to see a boy her age with silver hair and his shinobi headband covering one eye. It was the ANBU armor that gave his identity away. Nobody in Konohagakure knew the identity of ANBU members except for the Hokage, the village council, other ANBU, and the close family of ANBU members. And as the sister of a high ranking ANBU member, Mina had seen most of the ANBU at least once and been informed of who they were. This was Hatake Kakashi; the young genius that'd made ANBU at the age of fourteen and had the honor of calling the legendary Fourth Hokage sensei. What was someone like him doing here?

Kakashi stared in her eyes for a moment, wondering how to best inform her of her brothers' deaths. He could tell that she was on the edge of grief and the littlest thing could push her over that precarious edge. He was familiar with that look. He'd seen it every time he'd looked in the mirror after Obito died. He'd seen the same look in Rin's eyes before she left Konoha and vowed never to return. He remembered late nights spent awake, staring at his kunai, thinking about how easy it would be to draw the razor sharp edge over his wrist and escape from the pain he felt at having lost both Obito and Rin. Only Arashi-sensei had kept him from truly contemplating suicide, the blonde man giving him strength. Now his sensei was gone but Kakashi had his duty as an ANBU, to protect the village that his sensei and friend had both loved so much to keep him going. What did Hayabusa Mina have to keep her going? In a single day absolutely everything and everyone that she'd known and loved was gone. He'd have to keep an eye on her to make sure that her grief didn't push her too far. He owed Zin-sempai that much at least.

Finally, the young ANBU decided that there was no right way to say this, so he'd better just say it. "Hayabusa Mina?"

Mina blinked, confused and a little frightened that Kakashi was looking for her. Why would he be doing that? Why unless… No! She couldn't let herself think like that! Zin and Alix were okay, they had to be! "Hatake-san? Wh-what is it?"

The silver haired ANBU didn't say a word, nor could he bear to say anything as he looked away from her face. Instead, he silently held up two battered and heavily damaged hitai-ate headbands, both of them scarred by intense battle and soaked in blood. Mina gasped and clutched her hands together in front of her face, praying that this wasn't really happening even as tears began to pool in her eyes. Within her heart, hope shattered and her spirits fell. Kakashi hadn't said anything, but then he didn't have to. She knew what this was; she'd seen it happen within the compound's walls before, as clan members didn't return to their families from their missions. When a shinobi fell in battle, their family was presented with their hitai-ate. What she'd feared most was being confirmed in the form of this young ninja, holding two pieces of cloth and metal in his hands.

Zin and Alix hadn't made it. Her brothers were dead with the rest of the clan, and she was alone.

Kakashi still refused to meet her eyes, even as he gently pushed the two forehead protectors into her hands. Feeling the need to say something, anything to bring her some sense of comfort, he whispered a few words just loudly enough for her to catch them. "They were very brave. They attacked the Kyuubi head on, delaying it greatly, and even managing to hurt it. Their bravery inspired us to match it and carry on, as they would have. Without them, we never would have held long enough for the Hokage to arrive and beat the fox. Your brothers were heroes, Hayabusa-san. They fought and died together defending Konoha… Defending you. I'm sure that… That they both loved you, very much. You should never forget that, and always remember them."

He'd spoken more than he usually did, but he felt compelled to do more. Hesitantly, he reached out and embraced her much as he'd done for Rin and his sensei had done for him after Obito's death. He could feel the tears spilling out over onto his shoulder as her body shook against his, sobs racking her form. Carefully he stroked the back of her head, whispering gently to her. Finally when she calmed down, he broke the embrace and said just a few more words. "Just remember, through our memories our loved ones still live within us. Live, for them. And… If you need somebody to talk to, come find me. I… I owe your brother that much at least."

With that, Kakashi turned and walked away, leaving Mina to slump down against the opened gates sobbing her heart out, the hitai-ate tightly clutched in her hands.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The newly reinstated Third Hokage stood before the gathered citizens of Konoha just a day after the tragic loss of his successor. In the old man's arms was a tiny, blonde haired infant, the baby boy's exposed navel still showing the markings placed upon him the day before. Sandaime had just finished explaining everything to the villagers, how the Yondaime had been forced to seal the demon away into this newborn child, Uzumaki Naruto, since the Kyuubi could not be killed or defeated by force of arms. Finally, the formerly retired Hokage lifted the infant over his head, holding him up for all to see the Fourth's legacy. "People of Konohagakure, I present to you your savior!"

Inside, Sarutobi was smiling sadly. This was what Arashi had wanted. For Naruto to be seen as a hero of the village. He was sure that a symbol of sacrifice and hope would help the villagers and shinobi to better recover from their grief.

He was to be bitterly disappointed as the first murmurs of dissent arose from the crowd.

"You mean that thing is the demon?"

"Look at it! Taking the form of a child!"

"It can't be totally powerless, can it?"

"Of course not! Do you remember how strong that demon was?! There's no way it could really be as helpless as it appears! It's a trick!"

"Yeah! The damn fox is just waiting to get stronger again, and then without the Yondaime to protect us it'll finish what it started!"

"But it's weak right now! This is our chance!"

"You're right! For the Fourth! For our friends and family!"

"Yes! We must protect Konoha and have our vengeance!"

"It has to be killed!"

"If it lives, it'll grow up to kill us all!"

"Kill the demon!"

"KILL THE DEMON!"

Horrified, the old man recoiled from the suddenly violent mob, the now wailing infant clutched protectively against his chest. Instantly, the ANBU sprang into action. Even if some of them shared the villagers' opinions, they were the elite members of the Konoha ninja corps for a reason. They knew their duty, and right now their duty was to protect their Hokage and the child he carried in his arms. At first it seemed like the mob would be kept under control without any need for resorting to violence. But then a chunin who was amongst the crowd, driven half-mad by grief and rage, launched a kunai right for the baby Naruto. Fortunately an ANBU was able to leap up and snatch the knife in midair, but that was all it took to cause the angry mob to explode into a full-blown riot. Countless scuffles and fist fights broke out amongst the packed in citizens, buildings that had escaped the Kyuubi's wrath were set aflame, clubs and knives were flailed about, and the ANBU were forced to draw their swords and turn them upon even civilians in an attempt to restore order.

As the majority of ANBU tried to regain control, a few squads began herding the Third Hokage and his precious cargo out of the town square and towards the safety of the Hokage tower. Only a few people noticed them go. One of those people was a young genin who'd managed to remain on the edge of the chaos. Tied to her left shoulder was a hitai-ate marred by marks left from enormous fangs; on her right shoulder was another headband which had been charred and the metal was partially melted away. Mina narrowed her eyes as she watched the squealing bundle held in the Third's arms. Her right hand hovered over her kunai holster as anger replaced grief. _"So, that's it. That's the demon that stole my family and my friends from me. That robbed Konoha of the Fourth. I'll kill the little hellspawn, I'll…"_

Suddenly she was interrupted from her thoughts by a little nagging voice in the back of her head. Surprisingly, it sounded a lot like Zin. _"Hold it. Something's not right here. There's something that the Hokage isn't telling us, something that he's keeping secret that we need to know. I know that I might be rabidly paranoid imouto, but if there's one thing that I've learned as an interrogator it's that you need to be able to tell when somebody's trying to pass off donkey piss as fine sake."_

The girl bit her lip, trying to keep back tears as she argued silently with the voice that sounded so much like her dead brother. _"But the demon that killed you is right there, held safely in the Hokage's arms. I need to avenge you nii-chan, I need to."_

Another nagging little voice spoke up, this time sounding like Alix. Mina could almost see him in her mind, straightening his glasses as he clucked his tongue at her. _"Now you're not thinking like a ninja, little sister. You're thinking like a hurt little girl. You need to approach this logically and see underneath the underneath. There must be some reason that the Hokage is protecting the boy. If the child were the demon reincarnated, then there would be no reason for him to be granted such protection. But even if this Naruto were a normal child used to contain the demon, why the insistence on presenting him as a hero? And why was this child chosen? There is more going on here than can be seen on the surface. You need more intelligence; information is a shinobi's greatest weapon. Gather more data, than come to whatever conclusion the facts lead you to."_

Reluctantly, Mina agreed with what her mind was telling her. Something didn't add up about this Uzumaki Naruto, and she needed to learn what it was. Reaching up, she rubbed her shoulders, hands sliding over the hitai-ate of her dead siblings. It was strange, just then it felt like they were with her, lecturing her just as they always used to do. Shaking the feeling off, Mina slipped into the shadows of a nearby alley and began making her way towards the Hokage tower. She had work to do.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Sarutobi gazed up at the full moon mournfully, his fingers clenching in frustration around his pipe. The riots from this afternoon had finally been suppressed. Nineteen civilians had been killed, another eighty-three had been injured, twenty-eight ninja had been injured, and three ANBU were now in the hospital. It angered and saddened the old Kage at the same time. The thought that the people of Konoha could so easily disregard the final wishes of the man who had sacrificed himself for them. That instead of seeing Naruto as a hero as Arashi had hoped for, that the villagers would try to kill a boy who was barely two days old. Staring up into the sky, he imagined the Yondaime looking down upon the village. Sighing, the Sandaime turned to go back into the Hokage tower, his thoughts troubled. _"Was it worth it, Arashi? Was it worth giving your life for this village when they can't even accept your legacy? When they reject the only thing left of you in this world? Was it all worth it?"_

Walking through the halls, the old man made a point of stopping to talk to every ANBU he came across, personally thanking them for their service and loyalty both to Konohagakure and to the office of the Hokage. The ANBU were tired, exhausted, weary, and without their efforts today Naruto would surely have been killed. He was going to keep a few squads in the tower tonight to guard it, but the majority of the ANBU would be sent home to rest. They'd been pushed beyond any and all human limits over the last two days, and Sarutobi felt that they'd earned a few days of down time.

Finally coming to the room where Naruto was sleeping peacefully, the Hokage paused at the door. Frowning, the old man removed a kunai from within his robes and held it firmly in his aged hand. There within the room, carefully hidden was just the barest flicker of killing intent. It was so small that the ANBU, as exhausted as they were, would have easily missed it. But Sarutobi wasn't a Kage for nothing. If whoever was in that room meant to hurt Naruto, then they would learn why the name of the "Professor" was still respected across the world.

Kunai hidden behind his back, the old man opened the door and stepped into the darkened room before he was stopped by an icy voice that was far too young to be so cold. "That's far enough old man. I know that you detected me as soon as you got close to this room, no matter how hard I hid my presence. Cooperate, and we can settle this peacefully. Now, drop the weapon; frankly I'm insulted that you think that holding it behind your back would be enough to make me think that you're not armed and ready to use that weapon. Do it or I can't promise the boy's safety."

Reluctantly, the Sandaime let the kunai clatter to the floor behind him. He couldn't launch an attack into the pitch-black room without risking hitting Naruto. For now, it would be best to play along with whomever it was that seemed to be holding Naruto hostage. The intruder's voice, which Sarutobi could now identify as that of a young female, sounded satisfied with his actions. "Very good, Hokage-sama. Now, close the door behind you and turn on the lights. Remember that young Uzumaki's safety is in your hands, and depends on your willingness to cooperate peacefully. Please, for all of our sakes, don't do anything rash."

Carefully, Sarutobi did as the girl asked, closing the door quietly before flipping on the light switch. On the far side of the room was the crib where Naruto was still sleeping soundly. And standing over the infant with a kunai hovering just inches over his tiny throat was a young female genin who the Hokage identified as Hayabusa Mina. He'd read the casualty reports and knew that the girl was now the only surviving member of her entire clan. The old man kept his features impassive and stoic, but on the inside he was crying. He'd been a close friend of the Hayabusa clan for most of his life, and during his reign as Hokage they had been some of his staunchest supporters. Now it seemed as though in order to save his successor's legacy, that he would be forced to personally cause the utter extinction of a clan that he saw as an extension of his own family, just as he saw most of Konoha.

Mina barely caught the tensing of the Hokage's hands, and immediately lowered the kunai another inch. The old shinobi paused as Mina glared at him, almost daring him to make a move. "Just relax, Hokage-sama. I'm not here to kill the kid. At least, that's not my intention. I'm just here for some answers, answers that only you can give me. If you answer my questions to my satisfaction, then I'll surrender peacefully. If you lie to me… Well, Naruto will suffer for it. And just keep in mind who my brother was and everything that he taught me. If you lie to me, I will know. And then your only choice will be to kill me before I can hurt Naruto, and we both know that you don't want that. Having your first act as the newly reinstated leader of Konoha being the killing of the last member of a clan that willingly gave it's life for the village? Do you have any idea how many clans in Konoha owe my clan debts of honor for acts of service? If you want the support of those clans, then I suggest that you just give me what I want."

Sarutobi scowled. Trust the sister of two of his most dedicated and cunning ninjas to maneuver him into a no win situation. If he told her what he suspected that she wanted to know, then he would be betraying the trust of one of his dearest friends. But if he killed her to protect Naruto and his secret, then he would lose the support of nearly every clan in Konoha, support that he would need if he hoped to rule again effectively and keep Naruto safe. The question now was, which were the lesser of two evils? Take a life to keep a trust or betray a trust to save a life? He needed to stall for time, to figure out what to do. "And what is it that you want?"

At this question, Mina's expression turned sad, and Sarutobi cursed himself for allowing her show of emotion to get under his skin. It reminded him of how he'd been present as a friend of the family at her birth, and held the newborn baby girl in his arms as she looked up at him. How he'd been made an honorary grandfather of all three Hayabusa siblings, attending countless birthday parties and being there at each of their academy graduations. How could he bring himself to kill this girl, the last remnant of a proud clan that he had been glad to call his friends? Could he really go so far to keep the secret of Naruto's lineage? Mina's voice, quiet and scared, further wrenched at his heart. "I want to know the truth, Sarutobi-sama. I want to know why my family died. I want to know why you're protecting this child if he really is the demon in human form, like the villagers say he is. And if he's not the demon, then I want to know why you won't tell anybody anything about him. That's all I want, the truth and nothing more. Please Hokage-sama, I need to know. Please, please tell me the truth, all of it. No more lies and half-truths, I beg you."

The Hokage let out a loud sigh and nodded tiredly. Even driven to the breaking point, any Hayabusa would value their honor as dearly as they would their lives. Mina would keep her word of not harming Naruto and surrendering peacefully as long as he cooperated and was honest. A spoken promise from a Hayabusa was considered better than a written contract in Konoha after all. He also didn't doubt that she would know if he lied to her, just as she said. Zin had been one of the village's top interrogators, and Sarutobi knew that he'd passed on most of his knowledge about everything that he knew on to Mina. With luck, he could honestly answer her questions and still avoid breaking Arashi's trust in him.

"Alright, Mina-chan. I accept your terms. Ask what you will."

The kunoichi regained her composure and nodded curtly even as she inwardly blew out a sigh of relief, grateful that the Hokage hadn't called her bluff. It was a gamble, threatening a man that she knew could kill her in less than a second if he wanted to. She'd gambled on the fact that his connection to her family would make him reluctant to take her life, and she'd won her bet. Now to take her winnings and hopefully get out of here both with the answers she wanted and just maybe with her freedom.

"First question. You said that the fox had been sealed away into this boy, but not how. Is the boy the demon reborn?"

Sarutobi didn't have to hesitate. "No. The child was born just a few short hours before the Kyuubi reached the outskirts of Konoha. As you know, chakra is life energy and the highest concentration of it for humans is in the navel. The Fourth placed a seal of his own design upon Naruto's navel, used a forbidden technique to separate the Kyuubi's demonic chakra from its body, and forced the chakra into Naruto."

Well that answered that question, but Mina was still confused by his answer. Why? Why would the Fourth, as benevolent as the man had been, force such a burden upon a child? He'd never do anything even half as cruel as that if he could help it. So why was it necessary to seal a demon into a baby boy instead of just killing the damn thing? "I don't understand, Hokage-sama. Why would the Yondaime do such a thing? Why seal the demon into an infant instead of destroying it?"

"Because, Mina. Kyuubi is lord of the tailed demons, and is immortal. It has existed for countless thousands of years, dwelling mostly in the realms of myth and legend. You can't kill something that powerful. The Fourth could rip it's soul and it's energy from it's body, but if he didn't seal it away then it would just return to it's body later as it's soul and chakra can't be so easily destroyed."

"But then why an infant? Why not somebody who could understand and willingly accept the burden placed upon them?"

"Once again, the Kyuubi is a being of immense power. It could not be sealed into anything with a chakra pattern less complex than that possessed by a human being. But introducing that much foreign chakra into an already developed chakra system would overload it and kill the person that the demon was sealed into. Only a newborn baby, with their chakra coils not yet developed, can hope to adapt and grow used to having a different source of chakra housed within their body."

Mina nodded slightly and licked her lips. So, the child really wasn't the demon, was he? Instead, he was the demon's jailer. No, not jailer, jail. The girl realized with a sense of dread that this baby, Naruto, had been born into this world just to become a living prison. If anything, he was even more of a victim than her. But still, she'd protect Konoha just as her family had, and if it meant killing her soul just before her life was ended, than so be it. The kunai dipped just a little bit lower, coming about another half of an inch closer to Naruto's jugular. Sarutobi tensed again, ready to spring into action if he had to. Mina knew that if she harmed Naruto, then she was a dead woman. But she'd accept that as her fate if need be.

"What of the seal? Can it be broken? Is there any chance of the demon breaking free?"

The old Hokage scowled, and Mina couldn't help but to gulp. She might have seen Sarutobi-sama as a grandfatherly figure, but damn if he wasn't scary when he was angry. The normally gentle tones of the man's voice were sharp and harsh. "You should place more faith in the Yondaime. Konoha hasn't seen a seal master of his talent, skill, and ability in its entire history. Within only a few years the seal will have drained off enough of the Kyuubi's chakra that it will be impossible for it to exist without a host body. By that time Naruto will have become so used to the demon's energy that no host body other than his will do. There is no escape for the demon fox. It will be tied to Naruto until the day he dies and by the time that happens its chakra will be so exhausted that it will not be able to survive. The seal will not fail."

Mina's first reaction was to bow her head in shame for daring to doubt the late Yondaime, but she resisted the urge to do so. Instead, she made sure to keep her eyes firmly upon the Sandaime. If she lost her focus and gave him enough of an opening, he could be upon her in the blink of an eye. A simple nerve pinch would paralyze her without killing her. The standoff would be ended without Sarutobi having to kill her, and she'd lose any chance to get answers. As it was, he'd been cooperating almost willingly with her, a fact for which she was grateful. As a sign of goodwill, she drew the kunai away from Naruto by nearly two inches. Sarutobi noticed this and let himself relax just a little, giving a sigh of relief that this might be soon over and without him even having to give away Naruto's secret.

But Mina still had one question left.

"One more question, Hokage-sama, and then I will surrender myself to your judgement as promised. You didn't tell us anything about Naruto, which is what led many to believe him to be the demon in human form. Why did the Yondaime choose this child to be the demon's vessel? I know for a fact that there have been at least three other children born over the last week who would still meet the requirements of not having their chakra coils developed yet. And what about his parents? Who are they? I've never heard of a Uzumaki clan before."

Sarutobi barely kept himself from drawing in a sharp breath. This was the question that he'd dreaded more than any other. He couldn't lie without risking Naruto's life. Perhaps if he gave her enough information to answer her questions without telling her everything then she'd be satisfied and surrender anyway. "He is an orphan. His mother was a civilian who had emigrated here from Grass Country; she went into labor prematurely due to the stress of the Kyuubi's approach and did not survive Naruto's birth. His father was a ninja who fell in the battle against the Kyuubi. As for why he was chosen, Yondaime simply felt that he was the best choice. Now that I've answered your questions, please..."

Before he could get another word out of his lips the kunai flashed down and stopped just before it would have cut into the baby's flesh. Just the length of a hair separated the tip of the throwing knife from Naruto's throat. Mina's eyes were angry, and promised violence. The Hokage openly cringed at his blunder. He really should have known better to try evading a question from someone trained by both Zin and Alix to glean for every little bit of information that she should get. "Don't toy with me, old man! I warned you what would happen if you weren't completely honest! You didn't give me his parent's names or explain why the Fourth thought that this baby in particular would be the best suited for the task! I don't want to hurt the kid, but if you don't leave me with any choice than I will! Now talk!"

The Hokage just sighed heavily. There was no other choice now. He would have to break the trust that he'd been given. _"Arashi, please forgive me."_

"Uzumaki is his mother's maiden name, Uzumaki Saiko. She was married to one of the higher-ranking ninjas in Konoha, and the marriage was kept secret because of all the enemies he earned during the Great Shinobi War. That's why I kept the names of his parents secret, for his protection. His father made me swear to do so just before he died."

Now Mina was felling confused again. Who in Konoha could be so hated by the other hidden villages and have so many enemies that the birth of his child had to be kept hidden, much less his marriage? "Who? Who is his father?"

Sarutobi gave yet another heavy sigh, then came out and told her. "Kazama Arashi. The Yondaime."

In an instant of shock, Mina's fingers went limp and the kunai fell off to the side of Naruto's crib. Astonished, the girl turned to stare with wide eyes at the slumbering infant, who had thankfully slept through her angered shouts. "He used his own son as a living sacrifice?"

The old man nodded sadly even as he had a rueful smile on his face. "Of course. A Hokage is dedicated to giving absolutely everything he has and values to the defense of Konoha. And Arashi was perhaps the greatest Hokage of all. How could he do any less than to place this burden on his son? He would not ask another to do something that he wasn't willing to do himself, that wasn't Arashi's way."

At that precise instant, Naruto woke up and began wailing once more. Moving entirely on instincts ingrained into all women since birth, Mina quickly bent down and before Sarutobi could say anything Naruto was in her arms being rocked gently. Frankly, Mina was as surprised as the old man at her actions. She hadn't given any thoughts to boys or family, focused entirely upon her career. She'd never tried babysitting since it cut into training time, and there hadn't been any children younger than her in the clan so she'd never had any great deal of exposure to babies. But still, holding Naruto in her arms and seeing him looking up at her with those wide blue eyes, she couldn't help but to somehow feel warm inside. For a moment, her own grief was put to the side as she held this helpless little miniature person. He was alone like her, but unlike her he was defenseless and couldn't help himself. Right now, he was depending entirely upon her to keep him safe, depending on her not to drop him or abandon him. She couldn't help but feel a connection growing between the two of them as they stared into each other's eyes. Mina wondered if this is how Zin and Alix had felt when they held her after she was born. It was easy to imagine that they had, as it would explain why they'd always been so protective of her. And now she felt the same things for this tiny infant, for Naruto.

Smiling down at the baby, Mina gently rocked him from side to side, cooing softly to him as he gurgled happily. "Shhh, it's okay little one. Big sister Mina's here for you."

As soon as Naruto fell back asleep, lulled into slumber by the kunoichi's gentle rocking, Mina raised her head to stare into the Hokage's surprised eyes. Her voice was a whisper. "We're the same, aren't we? Naruto and I, that is. We both lost our entire family to the demon. The Kyuubi has scarred us both, even if his scars are so much greater than mine are. I guess… I guess that in that way, he's my brother. He's my brother in pain and loss. But we can still have each other, can't we? We don't have to be alone."

Looking back down at the slumbering infant cradled in her lithe arms, the girl smiled. Here was what she'd lost with the death of her friends and family, a purpose. A reason to keep living. Someone who depended on her to be there. Just as her brothers had been given strength from the need to protect her, she was being given the same strength from the baby who needed her to keep him safe and give him love. With those adorable crystal blue eyes and toothless grin, Naruto had unknowingly given her back her purpose in life and a reason to keep living. For that she owed the newborn everything, just as Konoha owed his father for the man's sacrifices. And Hayabusas were never ones to let a debt go unpaid.

Again meeting Sarutobi's eyes with her own, Mina spoke crisply and formally, letting the old man know the absolute seriousness of what she was about to say. "Sandaime Sarutobi Hokage-sama. Konoha owes a great debt to the honored Yondaime and to his son, Naruto-kun. As sole member of the Hayabusa clan, I acknowledge this debt and pledge myself to repaying it. The Hayabusa clan has always gladly supported the Hokages. I wish to support Yondaime-sama's last act by giving his son some small measure of comfort, support, and family. I hereby formally petition to adopt Kazama Uzumaki Naruto into the Hayabusa clan as my younger brother, Hayabusa Naruto."

For a moment, Mina could have sworn that she saw a brief flash of pride for her in Sarutobi's eyes. Which is why what he said next caught her completely by surprise.

"No."

Flabbergasted, Mina clutched Naruto more firmly to her chest, shock and panic beginning to set in. "Bu-but… But Hokage-sama! Why?! Why won't you let me adopt Naruto?!"

His words were cold and emotionless, his face as expressionless as a statue. "Need I remind you that just ten minutes ago, you were holding a kunai to the boy's throat? How can you possibly think that I would entrust his life to you after you threatened to take it like that? I won't allow him alone with you as his guardian."

"But Hokage-sama! You have to know that I didn't want to harm Naruto once I was sure he wasn't the Kyuubi! I pledged myself to taking care of him! You know my clan's reputation! We don't go back on our word, ever! You have to trust me!"

Sarutobi snorted bitterly. "Trust you? Like I trusted the village to honor Arashi's dying wish? No, Hayabusa-san. I have been shown that my trust has been misplaced one too many times today. I refuse to trust anybody but myself to watch over the Yondaime's legacy."

The girl was trying to keep from sobbing again. She'd cried more in the last three days than she had in the last three years. Desperately, she clutched at straws, trying to convince the Hokage that she should be allowed to make Naruto her family. "But… You… You're Hokage… You have your duties to Konoha, so much work… You can't possibly raise him and watch over him all the time Sarutobi-sama…"

"He'll be sent to an orphanage and I'll watch over him as best I can, using my position to protect him and visiting him as much as possible."

Mina blanched and backed away with Naruto still held tightly in her arms, her voice soft and shaky with disbelief. "You… You have to be insane. With the way the villagers are already treating him? He won't last a month in the orphanage. Somebody will pick him off, or the woman in charge will smother him in his sleep, or if he lives long enough then the other kids will beat him to death especially considering how many of them will be in the orphanage because of the Kyuubi. Everyone will know who he is and they'll hate him for it, and sooner or later one of them will kill him for it."

The Hokage just shook his head grimly before withdrawing a scroll from his pocket. "I have not been idle since the incident in the square this afternoon. I've already written a law, which shall protect Naruto. Anyone who harms him will be punished by lifetime imprisonment, torture, or death. Furthermore, the new law declares the knowledge of Naruto containing the Kyuubi to be an S-Class secret, to be kept from the younger generation and from Naruto himself. Hopefully with the knowledge kept from him and all those his age, he'll be able to live a normal life. It may be less than Arashi wanted for the boy, but it's the best I can do for Naruto right now. Also…"

His gaze grew stern and unyielding, and Mina felt petrified to see those eyes that were normally so warm turn icy cold as they stared at her. "I am going to let you go without punishment. However, you are to consider the truth of Naruto's parentage to be an SS-Class secret not to be revealed even to the Village Council, and should you reveal that secret I will have no choice but to have you secretly tried and executed. You are also forbidden to have contact with Naruto, and will be required to never come within two hundred yards of him. If you get closer to him than that, your punishment will be severe. I will not risk Naruto's safety or the safety of his secret by allowing someone who threatened to kill him near the boy. I genuinely wish that I could believe you, that you're honest in your desire to care for him, but after today I can't afford to fully trust anyone with Naruto's well being and I need to take your threat as a serious one. Now hand Naruto over to me."

Tearfully, Mina refused, holding the baby closer to herself. No, this couldn't be. She'd gained a new family, a new purpose, only to have it taken away. Sarutobi sighed in frustration, walking over to the broken young ninja and gently wrestling Naruto out of her grip. As soon as her contact with the infant was gone, Mina collapsed, kneeling on the hard marble floor with silent tears running down her face like twin waterfalls of sorrow. The Hokage, Naruto now in his arms, turned and walked out the door. Just before he exited though, the old man decided to have some small degree of pity on the poor girl.

"Mina-chan, please don't worry about this. You're still a child yourself; you shouldn't be worrying about taking care of a baby. And how can you afford to provide for both yourself and him on a genin's salary? How would you go on missions with a child to look out for on your own? No, this way is best for you as well as for him. Now go home."

With that the elderly ninja disappeared through the door and down the hall, taking Naruto away with him. Mina couldn't stop crying for at least a half-hour before she was finally able to pull herself together enough to go home. As she collapsed on her bed, the girl thought about her promise, her pledge to be there for Naruto. She had to keep it, for the sake of her brothers who died fighting the Kyuubi, the Yondaime who'd given his life to defeat it, and for the sake of Naruto who had already suffered and would suffer more than anybody else in Konoha from the Kyuubi's attack. She had to find a way around Sandaime's rules, to support Naruto even if she couldn't give him a home or be there for him. Crying herself to sleep, the last image on the young kunoichi's mind as sleep claimed her was of baby Naruto smiling up at her with love and trust. She wouldn't fail him, she couldn't. He was everything to her now.

She would protect him. Her precious person.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Reunions and Plans

**Brother Fox, Sister Falcon: ****Path to Genin**

By NightHunterMGS 

**Author's Notes:** The beginning of this fic came about as an idea for my sister's birthday. It evolved from there into a collaborative effort between the two of us, with us both coming up with ideas and me putting them down into words. And let me just say that it's already been a lot of fun, especially working with her. The other reason that I've put so much effort into making this a quality fic is because I'm sick and tired of the lame and undeveloped original characters, "Mary Sues", and "Gary Stus" that keep appearing in fanfiction; I wanted to see if I could do better and so far I think I've succeeded in making Mina a real character. This isn't the first epic fic that I've embarked upon, but I believe that it's the first one with true potential for being a great fic. Eventually, the Brother Fox, Sister Falcon series will have no less than five separate stories combining into one. It will be a long time in coming before you see this series come to it's conclusion as with my schedule and the length of these chapters I'll only be updating about once every three months or so. But I will update consistently, because if I don't my sister will make my life a living hell since she has a vested interest in this work. And so I have a lot of hopes for this fic, and I hope that you'll all become regular readers. Now on to a few answers.

The reason why this is called "Brother Fox, Sister Falcon" is because of Mina's family name, Hayabusa. Hayabusa is the Japanese name for the peregrine falcon, the fastest animal on the planet. This is going to play a lot into Mina's fighting style, focusing a great deal on speed and agility as well as certain techniques inspired by the falcon. Even her family symbol, which will be making an appearance this chapter, is a falcon. It's also the reason why Zin's ANBU mask was carved in the shape of a falcon.

Now in some of the first reviews I got, people asked that I allow Mina to adopt Naruto. I'd just like to say now, that it's not going to happen. A large chunk of the first story, a chunk that will more firmly establish Mina's character, revolves around her trying to help Naruto even though she can't be a part of his life. And eventually, she will implement a plot that forces the Sandaime to let her be with Naruto. She'll also be working from the shadows to improve Naruto's life, and even when she becomes part of his life this habit will not change much. Can you say matchmaking anyone?

And as everyone might have seen, Mina is going to be modeled somewhat on Kakashi living two lives; his and Obito's. She'll adopt many habits of both Zin and Alix in an effort to keep their memories alive, and so she might change greatly from chapter to chapter, almost as if she has three different personalities.

And as a final note, this fic had been in the Naruto/Hinata romance section, but I've moved it to the Kakashi section since the NaruHina doesn't come until later in the fic series, while the Kakashi romance starts this chapter. Later stories in the series will probably be placed back in the Naruto/Hinata section, but for now it'll be here in Kakashi's. Now that some things have been answered and explained, on with the fic.

**Disclaimer:** I'm so poor I don't even have health coverage, how am I supposed to be the owner of Naruto? Really, I think it goes without saying that I don't own Naruto even though I wish I did, and that I'm making no profit off of this work.

**Warnings, Pairings, and Summary:** See first chapter for pairings, summary, and earlier warnings. **WARNING! EXTREMELY COARSE AND CRUDE LANGUAGE! MENTION OF RAPE AND SEXUAL SITUATIONS! HEAVILY DETAILED ACTS OF BRUTAL VIOLENCE! IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED BY THESE THINGS, EITHER DON'T READ OR JUST SKIP THE PARTS YOU FIND OFFENSIVE. Thank you.**

Chapter 2- Reunions and Plans 

**October 8****th****, four years PKA (Post Kyuubi Attack), Fire Country Border**

Clouds rolled over the treetops, flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder breaking through the overcast afternoon sky. A warm, gentle rain poured from the clouds, hitting the leaves underneath. Water droplets quickly formed upon the patches of green, gathering until their combined weight was too great for the thin layer of foliage. Bending, the leaves released their cargo, letting it trickle down in an aerial ballet down to the next layer of leafy branches below. A splash of water, new droplets gathered upon new leaves, building up until these new leaves also bent under the weight and the process began anew. Finally, the water reached the forest floor to drench the grasses and plants lying beneath the massive trees towering overhead. Only, the vegetation on the floor of this particular patch of forest was already soaked, with a far more ominous, crimson fluid. Water mingled with the blood soaked ground, turning it into a nightmarish quagmire of ruby red liquid and more than just a few bodies.

Kyo, one of many unremarkable chunnin who swore allegiance to Konoha, groaned as he sat against a battle scarred tree trunk. Slashes, imbedded shuriken, and splashes of blood marred the once pristine trunk. A lot of that blood was his own, far more than he was comfortable with. Battered and bloodied hands held the slice across his stomach closed, as he tried to keep himself alive long enough for a medic nin to arrive. Fifty feet to his left was the corpse of Sara, a kunoichi that he'd worked with dozens of times in the past. A ninja-to shortsword, the ideal ninja weapon, lay lodged in her throat, her dead eyes staring open at him. Internally, Kyo tried to hold back from vomiting. As he himself knew, he was as unremarkable as chunnin came, the only reason he passed the exam was because his genin teammates had carried him through the first two tests and he made his own way through the last test well enough on pure luck. He'd definitely been lucky, as he'd never had to look at a dead teammate before, never having had a single casualty on any of the missions he'd been on so far. At least until today. Now at least one of his teammates was dead, he didn't know where the others were, and he himself was slowly bleeding to death.

Grimly, he looked at the three other corpses in the clearing, these ones without the Leaf hitai-ate of the Konoha ninja corps. At least he and Sara had gone down fighting. One of the corpses, a large and heavily scarred man with muscles upon muscles, lay on his back with a pair of kunai jutting out from his eye sockets. He'd been the first to go, taken down by a lucky throw from Kyo as the man had charged right at him. Although even blinded and dying, the bastard had still managed to use the end of his bladed polearm to rip open the hole in Kyo's stomach that he was currently bleeding out of. The next body was of a younger, slimmer man barely out of his teens. This one was lying curled into a fetal position, hands forever clutching his stomach in agony and dead eyes wide in fright, a pool of vomit and blood trickling from his mouth stretched open in a silent scream. He'd been Sara's kill, dodging out of the way of her kunai's thrusts until she was finally able to nick his forearm, more than enough for the poisons she coated her weapons with to enter his bloodstream and kill him quickly if painfully. Unfortunately her focus upon her target had allowed the last one, another kunoichi, to come at her silently from behind and stab Sara through the back of her neck before Kyo could call out a garbled warning. Of course the enemy kunoichi had made the same mistake, so enraptured by the feeling of bloodshed that the bitch had failed to notice the explosive note that Kyo had thrown at her feet until it detonated. Bits and pieces of her were all over the clearing, with her charred torso and head dangling by the intestines from a low lying tree branch. All three of the dead attackers were wearing stone headbands, proclaiming that they came from Iwa, the Village Hidden in Stone and Konoha's main rival.

The wounded Konoha shinobi felt sick. In the year since he'd become a chunnin, he'd never seen anything like this. Never. There was so much blood. So much carnage and destruction. And it was all so senseless. There'd been no need for this. None at all.

He'd been with a group consisting of about six Konoha chunnin including himself, assigned to a standard six week patrol of the border that Fire Country, home of Konoha, shared with Earth Country, the nation where Iwa was located. Sure, there was some risk patrolling this part of the border. Even after more than half of a decade after the Second Great Shinobi War, tensions between Iwa and Konoha were high. It was impossible to think that the two ninja villages would ever come to friendly terms again. Communications between the Hokage and the Tsuchikage were little more than politely worded warnings, vague threats, and bitter reminders of the past. Border skirmishes, while infrequent and often not resulting in casualties, were not uncommon. Iwa and Konoha ninja alike longed for payback against each other for the horrors of the war, although far fewer Konoha ninja held grudges against Iwa than Iwa shinobi did against Konoha, seeing as how the Leaf Village had been the victor in that bloody conflict. Hatred still ran high between the two great shinobi nations, hatred that resulted in meaningless fights like the one here.

More than a dozen Iwa nin, probably as many as fourteen, had ambushed the Konoha shinobi as they were patrolling, splitting up the leaf nins and forcing them to fight in smaller groups where the stone nins numerical advantage would be that much greater. They were still firmly in Fire Country's territory, so it was a clear border violation. A violation that could start another great war unless Iwa willingly paid vast reparations. And Kyo knew that in order to prevent that, these shinobi had probably been declared missing nins, rogue ninja, as soon as they'd crossed the border. What sort of hatred could drive a person to do such a thing, throwing away their careers just for a chance at some sort of utterly meaningless payback? Was pride really worth that much? Was hate really worth it?

Kyo was roused from his deep philosophical thoughts by a sudden pain in his shoulder and the sounds of coarse laughter. Looking up, he felt his heart plummet as he saw five new Iwa shinobi standing about twenty yards away from him, sneering in delight at his helpless state. A razor sharp, jagged kunai was firmly embedded in his shoulder joint, and he could feel a serrated edge grinding across the bone and shredding the tendons in his shoulder. Chuckling, the obvious leader of this bunch approached Kyo's prostrate form with malicious intent gleaming in his eyes. Like the man that Kyo had killed, this shinobi was as large and solidly built as a boulder. Typical rock ninja, even his damn voice was hard and gravelly. "Well lookit what we gots here, boys. A poor little Leaf nin, hurt and all alone. Did you fall down and get a boo-boo, little boy? Want me to go get the bitch you call mommy for you to kiss it all better?"

Pulling himself as upright as he could, Kyo glared at the laughing enemies surrounding him. Grunting as he tried without success to pull the wickedly jagged kunai out of his shoulder, he managed to force the question burning in his mind out through his gritted teeth. "Why? Why… do this?"

His question received another round of laughter from the Iwa shinobi, and a fierce glare from their leader. "Why? Why not? You Konoha ninja. Think you're so bloody superior an' morally righteous and shit like that. Darin' to think that you're all better than us. You're all a bunch of weaklings and cowards. And our whole village has to endure with the shame of having lost to you, lost to that bastard 'Yellow Flash'. Well your damned Yondaime, may he rot in hell, ain't here to protect you or anybody else anymore boy. We're in this for a little payback, to get back some of our lost pride!"

The furious glare turned into a vicious smirk. "Really, I can't say how lucky we are to have run into you, boy. The two we were after got away, running like the cowards they are. Me and the boys, we were really disappointed that we wouldn't get to spill a little Konoha blood. But then we come here looking for some of the others, and here you are broken and bloody. We're gonna have some real good fun with you, boy. Oh yes."

The Stone nin's hands flashed into a quick series of handseals, and Kyo could feel the earth under his legs shifting and beginning to move. Rocky coils shot up from the ground, wrapping around his legs. Slowly, ever so slowly, they began to tighten. Whimpering, Kyo bit his lip, trying to keep from crying out in pain. He didn't want to give this sick, sadistic son of a dirty whore the satisfaction of hearing him scream. But then the coils constricted quickly, shattering his legs beyond repair and the Konoha shinobi couldn't help but to let out an ear splitting wail of agony. Chuckling once again, the Iwa leader released the earth jutsu and flipped a particularly large and pointed kunai into his hand. Drawing his hand back, he aimed for a point dead center in the middle of Kyo's forehead. "Well, that was fun, but now it's time to say goodbye."

Closing his eyes, Kyo breathed in and prepared for the end. He heard the snap of a wrist and the sound of wind whistling around a fast moving object, and knew that the kunai was hurtling towards him. This was it. Then he felt another rush of wind right in front of his face, sensed the presence of a new person right in front of him, and heard the clang of metal meeting metal. Barely daring to hope, the heavily injured ninja opened his eyes to see one of the most beautiful sights that he'd ever seen.

Standing in front of him was a kunoichi; her brownish-blonde hair cropped into a short yet attractive style. Her flak jacket was the reassuring green of a Konoha chunnin's vest, with the red spiral on the back overlaid with the shape of a white falcon flying towards the heavens with a kunai clutched in it's talons, and a black band spreading from one wingtip to the other. Long fishnet sleeves covered her slender yet muscular forearms. Camouflage pants covered in pockets and small pouches barely hid what was one of the shapeliest rear ends that he'd ever had the pleasure of seeing. Black leather combat boots firmly gripped the ground, a mixture of mud and blood covering them. Though he couldn't see the forehead protector tied to her brow, he couldn't help but notice the marred and partially destroyed hitai-ate tied to either shoulder. Kunai and shuriken holsters were tightly tied to either thigh, with a pouch for senbon needles on her right hip, another pouch on her left hip, and the standard general use satchel tied to the back of her waist. There were also several leather straps with shuriken held at their edges attached to her belt. But most impressive of all was the massive blade held out in front of her, the teeth of the whirling shuriken placed in the center of the blade's edge stained with blood and pointed towards the threatening Iwa nins.

Sighing in relief, Kyo allowed himself to relax as he identified his rescuer. Although he didn't know her personally, he'd heard enough rumors about her growing reputation that he knew that he was much more likely to come out of this alive now that she was here. Grateful for her timely appearance, he coughed out his thanks, ignoring the small trickle of blood making its way out of the side of his mouth. "Arigatou, Hayabusa-san."

Mina didn't take her eyes off of the remaining Stone shinobi, teeth gritted in rage. She hated ambushes. She really, really hated them. In two and a half years of being a chunnin, she'd survived through no less than five of them. Sometimes it seemed that whenever she was around, seemingly simple missions had a way of turning deadly. Seriously, she could swear that fucking Fate was out to damn well get her! Still keeping her eyes on her enemies, she allowed herself a wicked grin as the shuriken blades of her late brother's favorite weapon spun furiously from the flow of her chakra. Cursing and bemoaning that Fate, Chance, Luck, and any other number of factors were out to get you was such a Zin sort of thing to do that it made her grin. So was cutting apart your enemies and relishing their screams, which is just what she'd been doing before going looking for her fellow Konoha nins. She thought that if her onii-san could see her now, that he'd be both proud and frightened in how much she resembled him at this moment. She'd managed to kill about six enemy shinobi before finding three of her teammates hiding at the rally point halfway between the border and their camp, telling them to stay put before she went looking for the last two. And here they were one dead and one wounded along with the last of the bastards that had dared attack them inside their own borders.

Her voice was gruff and firm like Zin's had been, but with a hint of cheerfulness and caring like what Alix's voice had possessed. "Shut up, Kyo. Don't talk. As soon as I finish taking out the trash, I'll get you to the rally point. Miho will be able to heal you up until we can get you back to Konoha. But for right now just shut the hell up and you'd damn well better not move."

The Iwa nin had snapped to attention at the arrival of another Konoha shinobi, and had assumed fighting stances. All but their leader, who was staring at the chainsword in Mina's hands with an expression of shock and anger. "That sword… Your name, Hayabusa. Related to Hayabusa Zin, the Chainsaw Ninja of Konoha?"

Mina smirked, holding the sword steady, the kanji spelling out the word 'Ripper' standing out gleaming amongst the blackened metal. Her big brother really had such a talent for naming his toys. "So, you know of my brother?"

The man snarled in rage, practically foaming at the mouth as his eyes glinted and killing intent rolled off of him in waves. "KNOW HIM?! YOU LITTLE BITCH! THAT BASTARD BROTHER OF YOURS KILLED MY SENSEI AND MY BEST FRIENDS BACK DURING THE WAR! I'll never forget the sight of that sword! Never! The only thing that saddened me when I heard of his death was the knowledge that I wouldn't get to kill him myself! But you know what?! I can still get my revenge now! I'm going to beat you bloody, fucking rape you until your cunt rips wide open, and finally torture you to death! Thanks a lot for showing up bitch! This is going to be the best day of my life! GET HER!"

The kunoichi's eyes narrowed, eyes going icy cold and an analytical gleam going through them as she stared at the group of enraged shinobi charging at her. "Bring it."

In the blink of an eye, she channeled a massive surge of chakra into her weapon. The pegs holding the shuriken shot up, and the chakra surge sent the throwing stars speeding at her opponents. The move was so sudden and unexpected that only two of the five ninjas managed to get out of the way. One of the three that got hit went down gagging, clutching at his throat as blood pumped out around the shuriken lodged in his jugular. The other two got hit in the shoulders and chest areas, wounded but not seriously. Ripping one of the leather straps off of her belt and putting it in Ripper's empty mouth, she sent another surge of chakra into it causing the pegs to come back down through the holes in the center of the throwing stars. Taking off the sheath, new ninja stars gleamed within the sword's maw, ready for action once again. It really was a devilishly clever trick that almost nobody would expect. Zin had been a truly cunning and devious man when he'd wanted to be.

Overcoming their surprise, the remaining ninja lunged at the lone kunoichi. Remaining perfectly calm, Mina stepped back and to the side, letting the leading man fly past her. Bringing the spinning blades of Ripper up, she messily cleaved the man in half, the upper body going crashing into a nearby tree with his legs falling twitching at her feet. Blood covered the blades of her sword and splattered against her, but she paid it no mind other than to let loose a slightly deranged grin. Covered in blood and her teeth gleaming white, she looked almost demonic.

Learning from their comrade's mistake, the next two decided to work together and came at her from the sides. Dancing back and parrying their blows with the flat of her blade, Mina kept up her bloodthirsty grin. The poor dumb bastards didn't even realize that she was leading them. Did they really think that she'd come charging in without a plan? Letting her guard fall for a moment, she saw the two sneer at her in triumph and burst forward. Smiling madly, she jumped up over their heads and into the tree branches above. Checkmate.

With the rain, they didn't even see the trip wires that she'd set earlier before charging to Kyo's rescue. Falling over the nearly invisible lines, the two of them went sprawling. One went down face forward into a puddle and got a big mouthful of water. Getting back to his feet, he sputtered in rage, muddy water flying from his mouth. Then suddenly, his face went pale and he started clutching at his throat. Foam surged up out of his mouth, and his eyes rolled about in his head wildly. Screaming silently, he thrashed and stumbled, running around in the throes of delirium. Finally, mercifully, he ran headfirst into the trunk of a particularly thick and steady oak. There was a wet snap, and he fell to the ground, neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Mina patted the pouch at her side in satisfaction. Her newest poison worked like a charm, even diluted by the water in that puddle.

The other man met his end in a much simpler fashion. When he stumbled, he fell face first into a nearby tree. Right into two senbon that Mina had carefully placed right at eye level. His eyes gouged out, the ninja stumbled blindly, crying in pain before Mina landed behind him and quietly slit his throat with a kunai. Alix's strategy lessons back when she was a kid had paid off. She knew that just like Zin, he'd be proud of how she'd imitated him in her career as a ninja.

Suddenly a thick hand snagged the back of her neck and pulled her away, slamming her back into another tree trunk and bringing her face to face with the snarling visage of the Iwa nins leader. The attack had been so sudden and violent that she'd actually lost her grip on Ripper and the enemy nin made sure to kick it away from where they were. "You fucking whore! Look at what you did to my men! How am I going to succeed as a missing nin if I don't have a gang of followers?! Just for all of this trouble, I'm going to take my time with you!"

Biting back a cry of pain from her rough treatment, the teenaged girl twisted her right knee back in a particular fashion. A hidden blade popped down, parting the cloth of her pants around the kneecap and revealing a kneepad with a switchblade mechanism attached to it. Taking aim, Mina brought her bladed knee straight up into her attacker's groin, hard. With a high pitched scream the man stumbled back, instinctively releasing his captive to clutch at the river of blood coming out from between his legs. Quickly seizing her newfound freedom, Mina leapt back and brought up her hands to perform seals. Fire jutsu wouldn't work in the rain. Lightning jutsu would be suicidal with all this water on the ground. She wasn't stupid enough to try and use earth jutsu against an Iwa nin. And while she knew several wind jutsus they were mostly limited to defense as only a wind master could truly use the element as an effective weapon. So that left water jutsu. And she had one of Alix's favorites, straight out of his personal jutsu library.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

Mist billowed out and surrounded the lone nin. Glancing around, anger was starting to be replaced by fear. Where was she? Suddenly there was a presence behind him, and a soft voice laced with killer intent whispered into his ear. "Hayabusa Clan Taijutsu Style, Way of the Falcon. Piercing Talon."

Then there was a sudden pain in his back, and he looked down in shock to see a feminine hand protruding from the middle of his chest, fingers curled into the shape of claws or talons and the glimmer of chakra lightly covering them. Then darkness claimed him and he fell lifelessly to the ground. Dispelling the mist, Mina spat upon the corpse of her fallen opponent before going to retrieve her late brother's most prized possession. "When you see your sensei and your damned friends in hell, be sure to tell them just who sent you there, asshole."

Moving back into the clearing, Mina sheathed Ripper across her back and made her way over to where Kyo had been lying down bleeding. "Oi, Kyo? You still alive?"

A hand was weakly brought up and Kyo gave her a shaky thumbs up, forcing himself to smile through the pain. While she kept up a cheerful mask, inside Mina shivered at the severity of the other shinobi's injuries. She was no medic nin but she knew it was bad. Both legs were utterly crushed and would probably need to be amputated by the time they could get him back to the village. The kunai sticking in his shoulder joint had been designed to cause just as much damage coming out as it did going in. It had shredded the muscles and tendons and made the shoulder difficult to heal and impossible to use without experiencing some degree of pain for the rest of his life. Kyo's career as a shinobi was over. But right now, she was more worried about him bleeding to death from that cut across his stomach.

Leaning down over him and rummaging around in her back pouch, she drew out a bottle of medical cream, a spool of fine fishing line, and a needle. True, as she'd said she was no medic but she knew enough to keep Kyo alive long enough to get him back to Miho and then to Konoha. His career might be over, but she was determined to make sure that he'd still live through this. "Hang on, man. This is going to sting like a bitch."

Moving quickly, she spread the anti-bacterial cream along the edges of the wound, holding it together with one hand as her patient cursed in pain. With the other hand, she threaded some of the fishing line through the eye of the needle and brought it down to his flesh. Moving quickly, she stitched the wound together. It was crude, but worked well enough in a pinch and would help keep him alive long enough so that she could get him back to the others at the rally point before coming back for Sara's body so that they could get going off to Konoha.

Slinging him across her back, Mina told him once more to hang on and then sped off into the forest, easily carrying her wounded comrade with her.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**October 10****th****, four years PKA, Konohagakure, Hokage's Office**

"…And that's how it happened, Hokage-sama. After getting Kyo to the rally point, I went back for Sara's body. Then the four of us who were still alive and able bodied returned with them to the camp, broke it down, and sent off an emergency messenger bird to Konoha stating that we'd been attacked and were returning to the village with wounded. We then traveled back here at best possible speed, arriving late yesterday afternoon. The rest you know sir. Kyo was taken by the medic nins to the intensive care ward, and Sara was taken to the morgue. Everything else is in the mission report I wrote up last night."

Puffing on his pipe, Sarutobi calmly regarded the kunoichi standing at attention in front of his desk, her eyes fixed on him and not even paying any attention to the two ANBU bodyguards flanking her. A formality during mission debriefings that the Sandaime followed mostly to keep the traditionalists on the council off of his back. Hayabusa Mina had come far since that day four years ago, when she'd dared to stand in opposition to the Hokage, the strongest ninja in the village. For the first three months since he'd forbidden her from being part of young Naruto's life, Mina had been a wreck. She only left the lonely confines of her empty family compound to tearfully beg him to reconsider his decision and let her adopt Naruto. She'd plead with him as much as five times a day sometimes. And each time, he sternly told her no. His trust had been betrayed by the villagers. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice by placing Naruto's care completely within the hands of a single individual. ANBU had caught her several times by the tower, trying to sneak glances of the boy to ascertain his welfare or to try and come into his room to sing him to sleep.

On her last attempt to see Naruto, he'd finally laid down the law. He'd told her that she was disgracing both herself and her dead clan by ignoring the Hokage's decision and flaunting his laws. He went further in informing her that if she didn't cease this behavior at once, then she'd be immediately stripped of her status as a shinobi and dishonorably discharged from Konoha's military forces. Such an act would bring irreversible shame upon the name Hayabusa, and the clan would die out forgotten and scorned. That finally seemed to get through to her. From that day forward, Mina had thrown herself into her career. She'd joined a new team and made chunnin as soon as the first exams after the Kyuubi attack were held. The girl had definitely stood out amongst the other candidates, as she'd adopted her brother Zin's signature weapon as her own and kept both of her brothers' damaged headbands tied to her shoulders at all times. Armed with a variety of weapons, equipment, and tricks that had been designed by her late brothers, Mina had dominated the competition and become one of a handful of kunoichi in Konohagakure's history to become tournament champion of the chunnin exams. And afterwards, she'd quickly found herself in multiple combat situations on her missions, rapidly becoming a seasoned combat veteran and developing new moves and tricks for her arsenal in addition to what she'd taken from Zin and Alix's examples. Just recently a new nickname for her had been circulating around Konoha, people beginning to call her Konoha's "Lone Falcon" in reference to being the last of her clan. Above all else, Mina had never again mentioned Naruto to the Hokage.

But it hadn't come without a price. Focused totally on training and her career, Mina was never seen enjoying the finer things in life. She was totally without close friends or any sort of romantic interests, and her colleagues were kept at a polite distance at all times. Most painful to him was when she'd stopped calling him "Grandfather Sarutobi" or even the joking nickname of "old man" that her brothers had given to him; no when she addressed him it was always as either Hokage-sama or Sandaime-sama. And as her career progressed, she'd become increasingly violent, cold, and bloodthirsty. More than just a few of her commanders had sent him letters expressing mild concern over her possible mental state, especially about how people would sometimes see her whispering to the hitai-ate tied to her shoulders as if her dead brothers could hear her through them. There were even rumors of her drinking heavily, as if to numb her inner demons for a moment. Hayabusa Mina had become a fine example of a dedicated kunoichi, but it sometimes seemed to the Third as if she'd cut out her heart and soul to do so.

It was moments like this that he regretted his decision to keep her away from Naruto, thinking that perhaps the child's presence could soothe the violent beast that seemed to be lurking within Mina's spirit, but he'd made his decision years ago and he stood by it for Naruto's sake. Besides, he still believed that a girl Mina's age who was completely on her own couldn't have taken proper care of an infant. He just had to believe that his intentions had been good enough and that all would work out for the best. Though it was little comfort when the girl that he'd called "granddaughter" was standing before him with that dead look in her eyes.

Blowing out a long stream of smoke out of his mouth, the old ninja refocused his attention onto the girl… no, woman standing before him. "I have already reviewed the reports from the others. I wish to know why you didn't wait for orders from Shimada Kenjii. He was the designated commander for this assignment. Yet you saw fit to give orders to the other chunnin, go back for the others and engage the enemy on your own, and basically assume command even though your commander was still alive and in good health. Explain."

Mina breathed in deeply, eyes showing nothing, not even a hint of fear at the possibility of a reprimand. "Hokage-sama, sir. With all due respect to Shimada-san, even though he's been a chunnin almost twice as long as I have, he's seen far less combat than I have. He's mostly completed C-Class missions, with only a handful of B-Class under his belt and he's never faced an enemy stronger than a C-Class missing nin. You know my record, Hokage-sama. Eighty-three successfully completed C-Class missions, twenty-six B-Class missions, and even three A-Class missions with over a hundred and thirty-one confirmed combat kills, and all within the last two and a half years. When we were attacked by a force more than twice our size and were forced to retreat to the rally point, I could see Shimada beginning to enter the first subtle stages of panic. He simply didn't have enough combat experience to deal with the situation, so I took control by making sure that the others stayed safely at the rally point and then going after the two who were missing. I acted appropriately given the circumstances, and do not regret what I did. If I had acted differently, Honda Kyo would have undoubtedly been killed and the Iwa nins responsible for the attack would have been free to retreat back across the border. I don't leave anyone behind, and I never let an enemy get away with attacking my unit or me. I was taught better than that, sir."

Folding his hands in front of his face, the Sandaime hid a smile. "Indeed you were, Mina-san. Actually, Shimada-san completely agreed with your reasons for assuming command and confessed to feeling relieved when you did so. The others wrote glowingly about you in their reports, stating that you showed poise, excellent battle sense, and a cool head while acting above and beyond the call of duty. Kyo went so far in his report from the hospital bed to say that I must be going senile if I didn't pin the Konoha Star for Valor on your vest straight away. And this isn't the only instance of you acting in a manner beyond that which is expected of you. Practically every commander who has led you ever since you became a chunnin has had only the highest of praises for your skills and sense of strategy in the middle of battle. You can be proud of your accomplishments, Hayabusa-san."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Leaning back in his chair, Sarutobi gazed at the young woman in contemplation from under the brim of his wide ceremonial hat. "You turn eighteen in a little under five months, correct?"

The young kunoichi just nodded in confirmation. Drawing deeply upon his pipe, the Sandaime stared speculatively at the rising smoke. "And the next jonin exams take place in just over five months, in Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in Sand. Excellent timing, don't you think so?"

Mina stared at the Hokage in mild confusion, not daring to hope that he might be suggesting what she thought he was. "Sir?"

"Well think about it, Hayabusa-san. Traditionally speaking, the majority of your clan members would usually make it to the rank of jonin by the age of eighteen or twenty. It is good to keep some traditions alive, eh? As such, I've taken the liberty of listing you as taking the exams. From your performances in the field, especially on this last mission, you've proven yourself to be more than ready."

Maintaining her stoic mask, Mina bowed lowly in respect, hiding the excitement she felt at being included in the jonin exams. "Arigatou, Hokage-sama. I will endeavor to honor my family name and the entire village of Konohagakure in the coming examinations. Is there anything else you needed from me, sir?"

Smiling, the old man just waved her away in dismissal. "No, no, that will be all child. Go on now, and do try to enjoy the festival tonight. Consider it an order if you must, Mina-chan. I worry about you sometimes, you know."

Instantly, it was if a winter chill had filled the room, and Mina's voice had gone several degrees lower in temperature, changing from almost warm and friendly to bitterly cold. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, most honored Sandaime-sama. I have been performing my duties with peak efficiency. There is nothing wrong. By your leave."

Without any further words, Mina turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. Watching her go, Sarutobi let loose a weary sigh. He regretted so much in his past. Not seeing his former student Orochimaru for what he was, not being able to stop the war, and not sacrificing himself in the Yondaime's place. But most of all, he regretted his decisions and actions regarding two people in particular, Uzumaki Naruto and Hayabusa Mina. Both deserved so much more from life than what they'd gotten. He genuinely wished that there was more that he could do for them. But there wasn't. Turning to stare at the Hokage monument, as he was prone to do, he regarded the face of Kazama Arashi, the Yondaime Hokage. He just knew deep in his bones, that Arashi would have managed to do such a better job than he had. With another sigh, Sarutobi turned back to the endless stream of papers flooding his desk, his thoughts morose and depressed. _'I'm getting too old for this.'_

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Mina scowled into the cup of sake held before her face. Damn her always taking things so literally. The Hokage had told her to consider his suggestion that she go out on the town tonight an order. And so she had, which is the only reason why she was hidden away in the darkest corner she could find in this little shit hole of a bar instead of sequestered away in the darkened corridors of her home. If she wasn't out in the field, she was training religiously in one of the remotest training fields she could find or alone at her house. Being out in public just encouraged people to try and get acquainted with her, especially those impressed by her slowly growing reputation. Those who wanted to get to know her because of her reputation seemed to conveniently forget that part of that reputation was that of her being a dedicated loner. Even sitting alone and out of most people's sight in the dingy and poorly lit establishment, she'd already had no less than five people come up to her asking to share a drink. The last one had been especially insistent, saying things like how a beautiful woman shouldn't be out drinking alone. She'd snorted at that. Beautiful? Her? Yoko had been beautiful. Her mother had been beautiful. Her dead sister in law, Kimi, had been beautiful. Even Sara, who she'd barely known, had been beautiful. Mina was anything but beautiful. In her eyes, she was what she did, nothing more and nothing less; she was death, and how could death be beautiful?

She'd tried to be polite. Being polite even when she didn't want to be had really helped to endear her to her superiors. Politeness could be an effective weapon when used correctly, yet another thing that Zin had taught her. She simply didn't want company. She didn't want anyone getting close to her. Why let them into her life when they'd just be taken away in the end anyway? It was safer, being alone. But the guy couldn't take a hint. So she put one of Zin's other lessons to practice; those who can't be influenced by words will always understand violence. After she'd snapped the man's wrist without even trying, he couldn't get away from her fast enough. As an added bonus, nobody else had bothered her since then. Of course, as soon as the bartender filed a report she'd have to pay a fine and possibly even cover the man's medical expenses, not to mention having a black mark put on her record. Shinobi terrorizing or harming civilians was seriously frowned upon in Konoha, although as long as she didn't kill anyone the most she'd get would be a slap on the wrist. Still, it was an annoyance that she'd rather not deal with.

Ignoring the booming sounds of fireworks in the distance, the kunoichi slammed back her shot of sake. How could they celebrate? Sure, Kyuubi had been beaten but not without a high cost. The Yondaime, the village's hero, had died and the Sandaime, far past his prime, had been forced out of retirement to rule again. Even four years later, the Konohagakure Ninja Corps was still only a third as large as it had been before the Kyuubi attacked. Some parts of town still showed signs of damage, and a few sectors remained abandoned. They hadn't even fully recovered from what the fox had done to them, so how could the fools be celebrating? It was idiocy at it's finest. The only thing today was good for was getting drunk out of her mind as far as Mina was concerned. If she was drunk, she didn't have to think about the sight of fifty-two caskets bearing the Hayabusa family crest being lowered into the ground. Absentmindedly, she reached over to her back and trailed a slightly shaky hand over the modified clan emblem she herself wore; she'd had the black band added to the Hayabusa falcon after the destruction of the clan, turning it into a symbol of mourning for her lost family.

Raising her now empty bottle, she screamed at the barkeep for another. She didn't drink too much usually, despite the murmurs amongst a few of the chunnin that she was becoming an alcoholic. But tonight, she couldn't possibly get drunk enough. It was the same way every year. The only way Hayabusa Mina could hope to get a good night's sleep on the tenth day of October was if she drank herself into a stupor. She was heading for burnout, and she knew it. When she wasn't in the field or pushing herself past her limits in training, she was drinking. Booze and the thrill of combat were the only things that made her feel alive anymore, where at one time she'd read, pursued various hobbies, and spent time with friends. At the rate she was going, she'd be dead before she was twenty-four, either killed in action or dying from a stupid accident while she was drunk. And she really couldn't bring herself to care. What was there left to care about?

To the young woman's keen disappointment, the bartender wasn't carrying a new bottle of sake with him when he came over to her table, a wary expression on his face. "Miss, that's your third bottle. I really think that you've had enough for one night. Just go home, please."

Snarling, Mina brought out her wallet and tore off a handful of ryo notes. "What?! My money not good enough?! C'mon man, you got the liquor, I got the coin! What exactly is the problem here?!"

With a sigh and a sad shake of his head, the bartender forced the crumpled money notes back into her hand. Voice gentle, he tried to persuade her with tenderness and sympathy. "Hayabusa-san…" Oh great. That explained it. He recognized her, and was one of those condescendingly sympathetic pricks who kept saying that she shouldn't do this to herself, that her family and friends were at peace and would want her to be happy. Kami-sama, she hated it when they acted like they understood her! Nobody could!

Angry, she shoved the money back into her pocket. "Forget it; I know when I'm not wanted. I'll just go and spend my money someplace where they will serve me. Payment for my tab is on the counter."

Picking up Ripper from where it was leaned up against the booth where she sat, Mina sheathed the massive weapon against her back and stormed out of the bar, allowing the patrons inside to let loose a relieved breath. The first thing any civilian in a hidden village learned was that you don't piss off a ninja. The really smart ones learned that you had to be even more careful not to anger a kunoichi. Even the demons of hell shuddered in the wake of a furious female ninja.

Stalking angrily through the streets and alleyways of Konoha, Mina was quietly cursing up a storm. Damn meddling Hokages, ordering her to spend time in town. Damn happily smiling civilians, trying to give her company that she didn't want. Damn pushy perverts who were probably just trying to get into her panties while she was drunk, forcing her to hurt them before they got the message to go away. Damn responsible asshole bartenders, who refused to serve her liquor until she passed out on her feet. And above all, damn her. Damn her for still being alive, when she should have died back then. Damn her for living, when her family and friends died and she wasn't there beside them. Damn it all.

As engrossed as she was in her angry thoughts, Mina easily missed the small blur racing towards her. With an audible smack, it rammed right into her legs, sending the object sprawling and Mina stumbling forward. On instinct, she steadied herself and dropped into a fighting stance, chakra flooding her system and burning off some of the effects of the alcohol. Coming to her senses enough to realize that they were still in Konoha and that this probably wasn't an attack, Mina began cursing anew. She'd had a real nice buzz going, and then somebody had to run into her and ruin it! Oh, she was so going to tear somebody a new one! "Moron! Watch where you're going idiot! Why I oughtta…"

A soft, trembling voice, a voice anyone could tell belonged to a frightened little boy suddenly quenched her anger. "I…. I'm so-sorry…. Please… don't hurt me…"

Looking down, Mina felt her jaw drop open. Cowering in front of her was a young, little waif of a boy. He was short and lean, and Mina was sure that if it weren't for his baggy white T-shirt that she'd be able to count his ribs. His clothes were torn and dirty, and looked like they'd gone several weeks without being washed. Scrapes and bruises covered his limbs, as if he'd fallen down while running or been pushed repeatedly. And given how he winced in pain whenever he shifted his shoulders or bent over, the kunoichi could only imagine how many other bruises he had that were hidden by his clothes. A faint trickle of dried blood was at the corner of his mouth, as if he'd been slapped hard enough to draw blood from his mouth some time ago. His golden blonde hair was matted and dirty, sticking up in clumps. But what caught her attention the most were the whisker like marks running down his dirty cheeks, and the brilliant blue eyes that looked up at her in fear. She knew those eyes. They'd haunted her dreams off and on for the past four years, even as she'd tried to forget the sight of them.

Her voice came out softly, half fearful whisper and half fervent prayer that this wasn't another alcohol induced dream. "Naruto…"

She'd forgotten about the boy since she last saw him nearly four years ago. She'd forced herself to forget him, to get on with her life. But she hadn't, not really. He'd been with her always, tucked away at the very back of her thoughts where even she wouldn't notice them. Her unfulfilled promise to protect him, to be there for him, to give him a family had torn at her soul and left her discontent even when she didn't know the reason why. Being separated from the child that she'd come to regard as her little brother during that moment so many years ago had left a hole in her heart, a hole that she'd tried to fill with violence and drinking. And she had killed her emotions one by one, to dull the pain and to forget the source of that pain. The young woman had nearly destroyed herself, trying to forget him and how she couldn't keep the oath that she'd sworn to herself regarding him.

And now, years since she'd last laid eyes on him, he was standing in front of her. He was no longer that little baby boy, and she didn't know whether to hug him and cry in joy or to run away in fear of the first real emotions that she'd felt in a very long time.

Naruto slowly raised his head, about to look her in the face for the first time since crashing into her, when a rock flew out and hit him across the back of the head. Without a sound the boy slumped down, falling into unconsciousness. Crying out a little in fear for the boy's safety, Mina reached out and caught him in her arms. He was so light, and he felt even thinner than he'd looked. A small bit of blood was sluggishly oozing into his already dirty hair, and the normally unflappable kunoichi felt a welling of panic inside of her. Only one thought was going over and over in her mind. Naruto was hurt. She'd been right there next to him, and because she was distracted she hadn't been able to protect him in time. She'd failed again.

Loud, rowdy laughter broke her out of her thoughts, and she turned to look down the dank alleyway. Slowly staggering towards her were about half a dozen villagers. Even from six yards away, she could smell the overpowering scent of cheap liquor on their breath. They were laughing and joking, and one of them clapped another on the shoulder and she could hear him compliment the man on a 'great throw'. Other words became understandable, such as 'demon brat', 'little punk', and other far less savory names. And all of this negative attention seemed to be directed solely upon the little child in her arms.

Feeling a surge of bile in her throat, Mina realized why Naruto had been in the back alleyways of Konoha and why he'd come crashing into her as he had. He'd been running. He'd been running for his young life. The bruises, the scrapes, the thinness of his waist, the pale cheeks, the tattered clothing, the names, and above all the look of fear that she'd seen in his eyes. It all made terrible, horrifying sense now. The four-year-old boy had been beaten, starved, and abused. Even now, lying helpless in her arms, the men that had done at least some of this to him were glaring at the boy with loathing. When she'd first seen Naruto held in the Hokage's arms in the village square on that day, had she looked at him like that? When she'd held the kunai over his throat, had Sarutobi-san seen the same look of hatred on her face as she saw on these men?

Suddenly, Mina felt a form of understanding for why the Sandaime hadn't trusted her with Naruto.

Sneering drunkenly, full of liquid courage, the men advanced on her. "Tanks fer catchin' th' lil' 'ellspawn, shinobi-san. Don' worry, we ken take it from 'ere. The demon brat won' trouble Konoha anymore after we're through wit' 'im."

Hearing their words, Mina felt the horror caused at the realization of Naruto's situation wiped away to be replaced with an emotion that she was far more familiar and comfortable with. Blinding rage. They'd hurt him. THEY'D HURT HIM! Every day, Naruto unknowingly protected them, keeping the whole village safe from the wrath of the Kyuubi. And for that, the ignorant fools had chased him down and hurt him! Why wasn't the boy in the orphanage, where he'd be safe?! Had the people in charge there also hated him, and sent him away?! And all those bruises, what she was now certain were the signs of previous beatings! How could they?! How could they do this to a four year old child who didn't have anybody to take care of him, and still call themselves human?!

Snarling, face twisted in rage, a kunai found its way into one hand while a bunch of senbon was clutched in the other. Years ago, she'd sworn herself to protecting Naruto, to keeping him safe. She'd been prevented from doing so. But that didn't excuse the fact that she'd failed to find a way to carry out her duty to the young blonde. For four years, he'd been hated and despised, and she hadn't been there to keep him safe. Well, she was here now, and these assholes were going to regret laying a finger on her little brother.

Without a word, the enraged kunoichi sprang forward, and soon pained screams could be heard ringing through the night.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Kakashi sighed beneath his ANBU mask as he silently sprinted across the rooftops of Konoha, his squad trailing behind him. Kami, but he detested night patrols. Even as an ANBU captain, one of the highest positions a ninja could hold besides the coveted role of Hokage, he was still expected to perform them on a regular basis. The patrols were boring, as there usually wasn't anything going on that ANBU needed to concern themselves with. And even if they did come across something of interest, the Konoha Military Police usually got there first. And the damn stuck up Uchihas were rabidly protective of their turf, lording the fact that ANBU really had no jurisdiction within the city limits of the hidden village during a time of peace over them. They were even more stuck up when he was around, regarding him as a thief who'd stolen their greatest weapon from them. The Copy-Nin, as he'd been called for a few years now, honestly couldn't see how cheerful, clumsy, and friendly Obito had come from that gloomy clan. It was a wonder that he hadn't turned out like that poor kid, Itachi. Being hailed as the clan genius, forced to become genin at such an early age, the pressure must be enormous.

Of course, the real reason why he hated night patrols in particular was because there wasn't enough light to read by! A daylight patrol, you could pretty much run the route by memory and keep an eye out for trouble while keeping the other eye on a good book. But no, not on a stupid night patrol! The stupid things were not only dull and boring, but they kept him away from his beloved Icha Icha goodness! Injustice!

Many people wondered why Kakashi was so interested in those little orange books. Especially the few that had seen his face, since they knew that with looks like his he could have any woman he wanted; hell he could probably make the most dedicated Iwa kunoichi swear everlasting loyalty to Konoha with just an unmasked smile and a wink! The reasons why he paid more attention to porn novels even ones that were so well written, rather than real life women were twofold. The first reason was what Kakashi privately referred to as the 'Great Circle of Perversion'. It was an extremely little known fact, but their wise and honored Sandaime was an epic pervert. Of course the old man didn't begin to compare to his student, the Toad Sannin Jiraiya who didn't even bother hiding his perversion, proudly declaring himself a 'super pervert' and being the author of those books that Kakashi so loved. And of course, the sannin had passed down some of his perverted nature to his favorite student, the Yondaime who had in turn become Kakashi's sensei. Really, he hadn't stood a chance. He imagined that if, kami forbid, he was ever saddled with a bunch of genin brats that he'd eventually turn at least one of them into a pervert as well.

The other reason why he read the Icha Icha Paradise books was a little more complicated, and if anybody knew it then they'd realize just how emotionally scarred the still relatively young man was. The reason why he read about relationships and love instead of pursuing it for himself was because while he might long for such things he didn't want them. To some, that was a contradiction, but not to Kakashi. Like any man, he had a basic, deep-seated instinct to procreate. And what he'd seen of some of his colleagues with their wives and families had given him a glimpse of how wonderful it must be to fall in love, live your lives together, and have children. But, he'd also seen what his mother's death had done to his father. And after his father committed seppuku, he learned first hand how terrible it was for a child to grow up without a parent. Furthermore, in his career he'd seen more than one shinobi who became involved with their teammates or comrades, and how love overrode their common sense, often causing them to put their lover's safety over that of their other comrades. If he fell in love, he risked the pain of losing the one he loved. If he had a child, he risked one day turning that child into an orphan considering what he did for a living. And if he fell in love with a fellow shinobi, which was likely considering that he didn't really have anything to do with any civilians, than he risked his emotions clouding his judgment and damaging his career. He wouldn't even admit to himself that another reason why he avoided relationships was because of his lingering guilt over Obito's death and Rin's leaving, how he didn't believe that he deserved to be happy.

So, because Kakashi feared the very possibility of falling in love or having a relationship despite yearning for it, he read Icha Icha. He read it so that he could experience love by living through the characters. He read it on those lonely nights when he woke up wishing that there were a warm body beside his. And he read it in public, because he knew how most women hated it with a passion. Those pages and that orange cover acted like a shield, preventing any woman from even wanting to get close to him. Reading those books and having the occasional one night stand or brief fling kept his own desires for more at bay. Reading them and the disgust it caused in others at his open perverseness helped keep him occupied and alone. And for a shinobi as firmly set on the ninja path as Kakashi was, for someone who had lost everyone that they'd ever allowed themselves to love, it was best to remain alone.

Shaking himself from his morose thoughts, Kakashi shunted them to the side, directing his full attention back to the patrol. He hated giving too much thought to such things, another reason why he distracted himself with his reading when he wasn't buried in his work or at the memorial stone tormenting himself with guilt. It was then that his senses, keen and heightened due to both his experience as a ninja and family connection to the dog summons that he himself used, caught a whiff of a particular smell. Coming to a halt, Kakashi raised his hand, bringing his squad mates to a stop beside him. Raising his head and sniffing in deeply, the doubly masked shinobi caught the scent again and confirmed it. It was a smell that he was intimately familiar with, a scent that he'd caught countless times after more than a decade of combat service.

Blood.

Motioning silently for the other ANBU to follow him, Kakashi let his nose lead him to a dirty alleyway on the edge of Konoha's relatively small slums. Dropping into the alley, Kakashi came to his feet on the ground and started in surprise. He wasn't shocked at what he saw, far from it. This wasn't even in his top one hundred most shocking things that he'd seen or done in his life. Still, the sight of six bloodied Konoha civilians pinned to the sides of the alley by senbon needles wasn't exactly a common occurrence. Even more surprising at a scene of such violence, was the fact that they were still alive as evidenced by their unconscious twitching and quiet whimpers.

By the way that they were twitching and quivering in fear, Kakashi imagined that they were under the influence of a fairly nasty genjutsu. Considering how they kept flinching, shuddering, and crying out in a mixture of pain and terror, he'd guess that the illusionary technique was making them believe that they were getting the crap beaten out of them. The senbon were shoved straight through their shoulders and into the brick walls behind them. Whoever had done this was either quite strong or extremely pissed off. They'd also been knowledgeable enough about anatomy to pierce the shoulders without severing any muscles or tendons, causing great deals of pain without causing lasting damage. What was most interesting were the cuts across their bare chests. Their shirts had all been cut open, and light cuts just deep enough to cause scars had been carefully placed into their torsos. On each man, the cuts had been placed to form a word. One was labeled, "monster". Markings on another proclaimed him to be a child abuser. The others were similarly labeled as ignorant fools, violent jerks, and so on. Kakashi's practiced eye could tell that the cuts had all been made with the tip of a kunai.

It was obvious to the ANBU captain what had happened here. These guys had been stupid enough, and judging by the stench on their breaths drunk enough, to seriously anger a ninja. Crouching down, Kakashi inhaled deeply. While he couldn't compete with an Inuzuka, his sense of smell was nothing to sneer at either. Drawing in air through his nose, he was able to find another scent. Scratch his previous statement. These morons hadn't angered a ninja; they'd managed to enrage a kunoichi. Frankly, they should count themselves lucky to still be alive. Kakashi had seen Rin and plenty of other female ninjas get mad or how they acted during "that time of the month", and a murderously angry kunoichi was probably one of the few things that could still frighten him.

Motioning the hovering ANBU down into the alleyway, Kakashi pointed to the beaten villagers. "Get them down and take them to the hospital. If they wake up, go ahead and ask them if they know who did this to them. But I doubt that you'll get anything out of them. Even if they weren't too drunk to see straight or remember anything clearly, any ninja skilled enough to inflict this level of pain without causing any serious or lasting damage isn't going to leave anything that could give them away. I'll go to report it in, but I'd be surprised if anyone investigated it too deeply. Get moving."

With a series of salutes, the other ANBU moved to carry out their orders while Kakashi leapt back to the rooftops and towards ANBU headquarters. Again, the young captain sighed underneath his porcelain dog mask. Even though this could be considered a minor incident, there'd still be a small pile of paperwork to fill out. More time spent away from his Icha Icha Paradise. Right now, he wished that the night had stayed boring.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Moving like a wraith, a figure moved through the shadows surrounding the Hayabusa compound. In the figure's arms was a small boy with a bit of dried blood matting his blonde hair against his forehead. Inwardly, Mina cursed as she surveyed the buildings around her, especially the ones with clear views of the compound walls. Great, just great. She couldn't just walk through the gates of her home or jump over the walls. People might see her, and also see Naruto. And if people saw her with the boy, it could get back to the Hokage.

Really, what had she been thinking? After giving those bastards a small taste of the pain they deserved, she should have taken the boy back to the orphanage or left him at the doorstep of the nearest hospital. But no. After years separated from him, Mina couldn't bear to let him out of her sight again so soon, at least not until she could see for herself that he was alright. So she'd bundled the boy up in her vest, held him securely in her arms, and made her way back home. Hopefully nobody had seen them, and the boy himself wouldn't wake up too soon.

But that still left her stuck where she was right now, unsure of how to get into her own home unnoticed. Turning to the side, she scowled at a nearby vine, creeping over the wall. They must be close to the family gardens. She'd let the plants grow wild over the years, not daring to set foot in the gardens since the destruction of her family. There were just far too many memories there; the gardens had been one of Zin's favorite places, practically the only place that he ever allowed himself to relax and let down his guard. He'd had a connection with nature, reveling in the abundant life found in the natural world, a world of life helping to balance his world of death. Often, he'd told her that the gardens were his retreat.

Thinking back, Mina frowned, brow furrowed in sudden thought. His retreat. That's exactly what he'd called it, and he'd never referred to the gardens as anything else. He'd never called it his sanctuary or refuge. Always it was referred to as his retreat. Could it be? Zin had been paranoid to a fault, and he did love words and phrases with double meanings. Perhaps… all those conversations with him about the gardens had been subtle hints?

Moving at a snail's pace with Naruto held firmly in one arm, Mina began feeling her way slowly along the wall bordering the garden. For what felt like a small eternity, but probably was only about twenty minutes, the kunoichi groped about blindly in the pitch-blackness of the night, searching for a confirmation to her suspicions. Finally, her fingers caught on something. Three holes, just large enough for a person's fingers and thumb, placed so that they'd always be in shadow and covered by growing ivy. Placing her fingers delicately into the holes, Mina turned her wrist, rotating the hidden cylinder disguised within the wall.

At first, she was sure that a hidden door would just spring open after she'd discovered and turned the lock. But nothing happened. Perhaps it was a decoy, or the mechanisms in the door had broken down after years of disuse? Suddenly, there was a sharp stabbing pain in her palm, and she could feel a trickle of blood running down from her hand and against the wall. Biting back a cry of pain, Mina looked down just in time to see a kunai retract back into the hidden compartment in the middle of the three finger holes, its tip slick with her blood. The lock had been a trap? But what was the purpose of such a well-hidden trap, especially one that didn't seem to do any real damage? It was then that she noticed the blood running down the wall pooling into what she had thought to be a bunch of scratches and gouges from the elements and the occasional kunai practice. But with her blood coating the insides of those scratched out lines, it was clear that it was a cleverly disguised etching of the Hayabusa crest. The symbol of her family crest flared briefly with a bright light, and then faded away. As soon as the light from the glowing emblem faded, the hidden door that she'd been expecting to find swung open silently on well oiled hinges.

Blinking, a grin slowly spread across her face as comprehension dawned. This was just typical Zin. It wasn't enough to just have a secret exit for him. Even if it was well hidden, there was still the chance of an enemy discovering it. No, he had to make sure that if he had a secret entrance, that it was one that only people he trusted could use even if they didn't know about it. And so he'd placed a trap disguised as an opening mechanism, putting it where the blood drawn from the trap's victims would trickle down into an unnoticed blood seal which would only activate if the blood belonged to a member of the Hayabusa clan. Tricks within tricks and deception covering deception; that had been Zin's nindo. Smiling a little sadly, Mina slipped into the hidden entrance with Naruto still sleeping in her arms, making her way through before it shut behind her again. Even years after his death, it seemed like her big brother was still looking out for her.

Batting away countless vines and weeds from herself, Mina silently vowed to clean out the gardens when she had the time. Perhaps she'd even start coming to the gardens on occasion herself once she got them cleaned up. It suddenly was no longer a place of bitter memories, but rather a reminder of the things that her family had given her. Besides, it never hurt to have a bolt hole ready and waiting for you.

Making her way out of the overgrown gardens, the young woman was able to quickly make her way back to her house. Her house was probably the only place in the entire compound that wasn't in disrepair. Seriously, why hadn't she noticed how depressing and gloomy the place looked? Maybe placing a few D-Rank missions for genin teams to take care of some of the clean up was in order. Walking inside, she gently placed Naruto on a couch then left to get a basin of water and a first aid kit. He was dirty and banged up, and she intended to fix that. If he was still unconscious by the time she was finished with that, maybe she could try to find some of Alix's old clothes back from when he'd been Naruto's age. The boy needed more than those tattered old rags covering his body. But as for what she'd do once she had finished cleaning him up and clothing him, she really had no idea.

Returning after a few minutes with a basin full of warm water, a washcloth, and a first aid kit, Mina went to work. Softly, she scrubbed away the dirt and grime from his face, revealing the most adorable little face that she'd ever seen, before gently stripping the measly rags covering him and moving on to his arms, legs, and torso. After that, she parted his hair carefully, looking for where he'd been injured. But try as she might, she couldn't find a single cut on Naruto's scalp, not even a bump. How was that possible? His hair was covered by blood! There'd have to have been at least a little cut somewhere on his head, and there's no way that he could heal it that quickly! Unless… Perhaps his "tenant" had something to do with it. Could the Kyuubi increase Naruto's healing in some fashion? And if the demon could influence that in the child, what else could it influence?

Swallowing the tiny surge of fear she felt, both for Naruto's safety and her own, the kunoichi continued her work. Since he had no cuts on his scalp, she'd be able to easily wash the dirt and blood out of his hair. Carefully placing the back of his head in the basin, she painstakingly teased out all the tangles in his hair while washing out the filth infesting it. Finally she finished, and gently rubbed a fluffy white towel through his hair. With Naruto cleaned up, she took away her cleaning supplies, threw away the filthy scraps of cloth that he'd been wearing, and went searching for some boxes of Alix's old clothes. She finally found some in one of the long abandoned storerooms, shoved in a corner and gathering dust just like almost everything else in the compound. Rummaging through the contents of the box, Mina found some small ninja sandals, a pair of baggy blue shorts, and a white shirt with a red Konoha leaf symbol embroidered on it. Perfect, this should fit Naruto nicely for a few years.

Moving back into the room where she'd placed Naruto, Mina bent down to begin changing his clothes when the boy's eyes groggily snapped open. Instantly, Mina froze. She'd left the lights off, so he probably wouldn't be able to see her face. The only reason she could see fairly well in the darkness of the room was because of her training as a ninja, slowly developing her night vision. But still, she'd wanted to get away from him before he woke up. If he looked up at her with those wide blue eyes filled with fear again, she might break down.

Young Uzumaki Naruto woke up from sleeping on something soft and pretty comfortable. That alone was enough to confuse him, since he was used to waking up on the hard, dusty floor of the orphanage's basement. Even before the mean old lady in charge over there had kicked him out two nights ago, he'd been treated worse than dirt. The only difference between the orphanage and living on the streets was that they'd usually feed him once a day, maybe twice if one of the orphanage workers was in a good mood. Although there were also times when they didn't feed him for a few days, it was still better than rooting through garbage cans for rotten apple cores and moldy chunks of dry bread. He also felt clean. He didn't remember the last time that he'd felt clean. What was going on?

Opening his eyes, he could barely make out the shape of a person standing over him. Normally, he'd panic. When people stood over him in the dark, it was usually so that they could give him a beating. But for some reason, he wasn't afraid of the stranger that he could just barely tell was a woman. Instead, he felt something that he never thought he'd feel; he felt safe. Eyes wide, Naruto quietly asked the safe feeling lady a question that made all the sense in the world to his four-year-old mind. "Lady? Are you an angel?"

Mina had to bite her lip to keep from sobbing. How could the villagers possibly think that anyone so innocent could possibly be a demon? He thought she was an angel. Her, the person that had forgotten about him, who'd left him alone. Forget the Hokage's orders; she couldn't forgive herself for doing that to him, for forgetting that he even existed. She knew that she was far away from being anything angelic. But if an angel was what he needed, than an angel is what he'd get. Smiling softly, Mina ran a hand soothingly through his hair, whispering gently. "Yes Naruto, I'm an angel. In fact, I guess you could call me your guardian angel. I'm sorry that I've been doing such a bad job lately, but I promise to do better. I promise that I'm going to help you."

Naruto's eyes had grown wider, and his voice shook. "You… You want to… to help? To help me?"

Barely seen, Mina nodded her head in the universal sign for a positive answer. Before she knew it, Naruto's tiny hands were trying to circle her stomach and his tear filled face was shoved into her chest. Startled, the young woman didn't know what to do for a moment before her arms also wrapped around him, whispering softly and singing a gentle song to him in an attempt to calm the boy down. On Naruto's part, he was happier than he'd ever been before, even if this was just a dream. Somebody cared about him. That was all that he'd wanted his entire life, to know that somebody cared about him. Being held like this with the angel lady's beautiful voice singing softly to him brought up some hazy memories that were so faint that he was sure they were also just dreams. In the dreams, somebody was holding him and singing to him, just like the angel lady was doing now. The thing he remembered most about those dreams was the person's smile; even if he couldn't see the person's face in those dreams, he could see them smiling down at him. He wished that he could see angel lady's smile, he imagined that it would be just as nice as his dream person's smile.

This tender moment was interrupted when Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly enough that Mina wouldn't have been surprised if they'd heard it all the way in Suna. Stifling a giggle, she asked Naruto if he was hungry. After the boy's enthusiastic nod yes, she gave him the clothes she'd found and told him to put them on while she made him something. A few minutes later, Mina emerged from the kitchen with a big bowl of steaming noodles. When Naruto looked at it strangely, she asked if he'd ever had ramen before. When the boy said that he hadn't, she was quick to assure him that she really liked it and that he'd love it too. After the first few bites, she was proven to be a prophet as Naruto grinned widely in delight and began devouring the bowl of ramen like a starving wolf feasting on a deer. By the time he was halfway finished with the ramen however, Naruto was beginning to feel a little drowsy. As he felt his eyes droop down, he sleepily asked the question that had been plaguing him for a while now. "Hey, angel-nee-chan, do you have to go soon? Please, can't'ya stay with me?"

Feeling her heart clench tightly in mixed joy and sorrow when he called her nee-chan, Mina smiled softly as his eyelids drooped lower and lower. "I'm afraid that I can't, Naruto. But I promise. Even if you can't see me, I'll be right there watching over you. Trust me."

Naruto nodded sleepily, his voice soft and trailing off into sleep again. "I trust you, nee-chan…"

With that, the young boy was out like a light. Mina regretted slipping the sleeping powder into his ramen, but it would be better for everyone involved if Naruto just believed this all to have been a dream or something. Besides, she'd figured out what she was going to do, and it would be easier to sneak Naruto into the Hokage tower if he were asleep and quiet. She just needed to write a quick note explaining a few things, and to get something to make sure that she wasn't recognized if anyone saw her. Gulping in trepidation, Mina made her way to another part of the house that she hadn't dared venture to ever since her brothers' deaths; Zin's old room back from before he and Kimi had moved to a different house in the compound. Walking in, the kunoichi hesitantly slid open the closet. Amongst various uniforms and such that he'd left behind here, were a pitch black cloak and a black falcon mask, one of Zin's old ANBU uniforms. Donning the mask and cloak, Mina found a piece of parchment and quickly wrote an explanation on it. Making a quick stop to put Ripper away in her own room since the weapon would be too recognizable if she carried it while in disguise, she quickly went back to the living room and gathered Naruto. After that she slipped back out of the secret exit in the gardens, disappearing into the dark Konoha night with her precious cargo in her arms.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Sarutobi sighed in exhaustion as he shuffled through the endless paperwork piled upon his desk. He'd been sighing a lot these past four years, ever since he was forced to take back his position as Hokage. He was far too old to really do this job well anymore; he just lacked the energy and the enthusiasm that he'd once had what felt to be so very long ago. There were no real candidates to succeed him as the Godaime in Konoha right now, so it seemed like he'd be stuck with his endless workload until the day he died. Even today, a village holiday, he was stuck in the office, in for yet another late night. Silently, he prayed for something, anything to break the tedious boredom he felt.

He got his wish, as mere seconds later the old man heard alarmed shouts coming from outside of the tower. Getting to his feet, the Hokage walked over to the nearest window and looked outside. There was a figure, obscured by a black cloak, dashing away from the tower at speeds that only a trained shinobi could achieve. In close pursuit was the handful of chunin guards that were on duty at the tower during the festival. The figure reached into its cloak and withdrew several smoke bombs, dropping them at their feet. Instantly, large clouds of thick smoke choked the air, causing the intruder's pursuers to completely lose sight of the figure. One quick thinking chunin began the handseals for a wind jutsu, obviously intending to blow the smoke away. But it was also obvious that it was a technique that the man wasn't very familiar with since it took him nearly thirty seconds to perform the long series of seals. By the time a strong gust of wind finally tore through the streets blowing away the smoke, the intruder was gone without a trace.

Moments later, there was a knock at his door followed by the voice of one of his favorite secretaries. "Hokage-sama, there's something here you should see."

Opening the door, Sarutobi blinked in surprise when he saw a sleeping Naruto lying on a couch in the reception room for his office. Turning to the secretary, he didn't need to say any words to convey his question. She'd been with him for years, and knew what he wanted to know. "An intruder, wearing a black cloak and a non-standard ANBU style mask, appeared in front of me carrying Naruto, Hokage-sama. Before I could respond, the intruder had laid Naruto down on that couch and ran off. I didn't even get a good enough look to tell if they were male or female. As soon as I regained my senses, I hit one of the silent alarms to signal the guards. But by the sounds of the shouting outside, I'd guess that they got away. Naruto seems fine, in fact it looks like somebody cleaned him up and gave him a set of clean clothes. If I had to guess, I'd say that they probably even fed him."

Sarutobi hid a grin at the caring in the woman's voice. Ah, the main reason she was one of his favorites. She'd been out of the village visiting relatives in Rice country at the time of the Kyuubi attack, and she hadn't lost anyone close to her during that time. As such, she was one of the few people whose opinion of Naruto wasn't influenced due to remembered fear of the Kyuubi's terror. And while she might not be terribly fond of the boy, she at least treated him like a human being. He just wished that more of his people could be more like her.

Clearing her throat to regain his attention, the secretary handed him a piece of paper. "Also, the intruder left this behind. I think you might find it of interest, sir."

Squinting down at the note in his hands, the old ninja began to read. "Sandaime-sama. Forgive my intrusion and my hasty escape, but I knew of no other way to maintain my anonymity. Please, do not try to discover who I am. If the villagers knew that I had in any way aided Naruto, I might face retaliation. Just take comfort in the fact that I am a friend and that I have no ill intentions towards the boy. I rescued him from an attack earlier, and learned that the boy had been kicked out of the orphanage. I can not care for him myself, due to the previously stated fear of the villagers' retaliation. I trust you to handle this matter, Hokage-sama."

The note made Sarutobi want to smile and frown at the same time. It seemed that Naruto had more supporters than he'd initially realized at first. That in itself gave him hope for the future and improved his recently dark thoughts concerning the village. But the other part of the note filled him with a mild dread. Was Naruto really that hated? Was he so badly persecuted by the villagers that even experienced ninja feared what the civilians would do to them if they were found to be helping the boy? He'd known that Naruto was having some problems, as ANBU had intercepted and foiled numerous assassination attempts on him over the last four years. But he'd honestly thought that things were slowly getting better. However yet again, the damned ignorant villagers had dashed his hopes. Not for the first time, he wondered if the Yondaime's sacrifice had truly been worth the price that his only child had paid.

The father was hailed as a hero while the son was shunned as the village pariah. It was an irony too bitter to swallow. The old man was sure that his traitorous former pupil would laugh in delight if he could see the anguish that Sarutobi bore every day, an anguish caused by the very village that he, Arashi, and the other Hokages had all loved so very much.

Motioning the secretary to bring Naruto into his office, the Hokage retreated back behind his desk. Reading the letter over and over again, he puffed studiously on his pipe. His secretary, after depositing Naruto on a small couch along one of the office's walls, stood at attention beside her village's revered leader. She was no shinobi, true enough, but she was still a citizen of Konohagakure and as such could assume an almost military bearing when her leader issued her commands. And she could tell that the Hokage was about to give her some very important orders. She hadn't been his secretary for so long without learning anything, she knew his various tricks and habits as well as their meaning. Right now he was unfocused, his pipe alternately smoldering and blazing as he puffed almost absentmindedly on it. It was the sign that he was deep in thought and considering a difficult problem of some sort with all of the vast intellect and wisdom that had gotten him dubbed as "The Professor". Whatever was brewing in his mind, it was bound to be big even if most would see it as a little thing barely worth his time. That's just the way that the Sandaime worked.

Finally Sarutobi's eyes snapped back into focus and he removed his pipe from his mouth, blowing out a thick stream of smoke from his lips. His contemplations were finished. He had his answer. There was little that could be done about these beatings unless ANBU caught the perpetrators in the act or one of the few people in Konoha that were friendly towards the boy filed a charge. He knew that even if Naruto weren't too afraid to lodge a complaint on his own behalf that the boy's claims would most likely be ignored. And he sadly had no delusions as to the Konoha Military Police forces going out of their way to help since the Uchiha clan had been one of the most loudly outspoken forces calling for the boy's execution early on. Even as the most powerful ninja in the village, he couldn't influence people to have a positive attitude towards Naruto without the use of force, and if he went down that path then he would soon become a tyrant. He refused to journey down that road, not even for Arashi's legacy. So he couldn't change the beatings. It would be best if he simply tried to minimize them and focus on the things that he could change.

So, the workers at the orphanage had kicked Naruto out, had they? Sadly, the Sandaime wasn't all that surprised at this news. It was no secret that the orphanage matron had lost a son to the Kyuubi, and none of the other workers had any cause to care for Naruto. Oh certainly, on the few times that he managed to visit the child everyone there made a big show of making sure that he was clean and well fed. But with his schedule he couldn't make it to visit Naruto more than three or four times a year, and he wasn't naïve enough to believe that the young blonde was treated as well when he wasn't visiting. It was only a matter of time before events escalated enough for the people at the orphanage to finally rid themselves of him.

So now he had three options. Firstly, he could pay off the orphanage matron to allow Naruto back in. She might hate the boy she perceived as the Kyuubi reborn, but she was pragmatic and greedy enough to put up with his presence if money was involved. However there were two major problems with this plan. If it was known that the Hokage would pay good sums of money to get Naruto back into the orphanage, then the staff would keep kicking him out and demanding more money each time to allow the boy back in. More importantly to the Sandaime was that he'd just be putting Naruto back into a place where he obviously wasn't wanted and unloved. And if they'd had the audacity to evict him from the only home that he'd ever known, then who knew how many other abuses had been heaped onto him? Obviously, the first option was out.

The second option was to have Naruto adopted and placed into a home where he could be cared for. Needless to say, this was the ideal solution. But it was an impossible hope. In four years, only one person in the entire village had ever asked to adopt Naruto. And he'd denied Hayabusa Mina's request without a second thought at the time, something he regretted now after seeing how unkind life had been to both Naruto and Mina during these past four years, but he didn't feel as though he could take back his decision. He'd take the poor child in himself, but he was just too busy to care for a child. And as soon as he did something like that then he knew that the council would try to have him removed from leadership, which would leave Naruto further exposed and vulnerable without the Hokage's protection. So unfortunately, that option was also not feasible.

The third and final option was to have Naruto live on his own. This was perhaps the worst option since he was only four years old. Even if he did manage to take care of himself, then doing so would force him to grow up far too fast and steal away some part of his childhood. But with nobody willing to adopt the boy and with the orphanage being unsuitable for him, this was the only option he had available to him. Besides, surely it couldn't be that bad, right? Hatake Kakashi had been forced to raise himself since the age of five, and he'd turned into one of Konoha's strongest ninjas… as well as one with the most mental trauma. It wasn't perfect, but it really was the best that he could do.

He silently asked Arashi's spirit yet again if it had all been worth it, if saving the village had really been worth the pain that his son had been forced to go through.

Drawing out several scrolls, a jar of ink, and a small writing brush the formerly retired Hokage began writing quickly and meticulously. After a few minutes, he handed his secretary three scrolls sealed with the mark of the Hokage. "Make sure these scrolls are delivered. The first is to go to the head of the Internal Affairs division of the ANBU. I want a full investigation into the spending and general practices of the Northside orphanage. The second scroll is to be delivered to the legal department. They're emancipation papers for Uzumaki Naruto, allowing him to make decisions and care for himself without an adult caretaker. The third scroll is for the financial department, instructing them to set up a regular cost of living allowance for Uzumaki Naruto. Finally, I'd like for you to find an apartment complex with a vacancy for Naruto to live at. That will be all for now. And thank you."

Bowing, the woman walked out the door, closing it behind her. Sarutobi, now alone except for the sleeping boy, stared at Naruto for a long moment before turning his gaze to the portrait of the Yondaime Hokage. Sighing, the old man returned to his paperwork with only one last bitter thought. It was a thought that had gone through his mind more times than he could count in the past four years. _"I'm sorry, Arashi. I'll never be able to tell you just how sorry I really am."_

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Kakashi giggled girlishly as he strolled through the streets of Konoha, his infamous little orange book held in front of his face as he read by the light of the street lamps. He'd barely spent twenty minutes at ANBU headquarters after reporting in about the incident earlier that night. Normally an average report would have taken at least a couple of hours to write. That's why Kami-sama in his infinite wisdom gave subordinates who had to listen to him and do what he told them to do unto perverted little ANBU captains. So here he was roaming the nighttime streets and reveling in his beloved Icha Icha while some poor nameless junior ANBU was forced to remain stuck at headquarters and do his work for him. Ah yes, life was good.

Eventually, his aimless wanderings brought him to one of the bars that he would sometimes frequent. He didn't even know what the place was called. Frankly he'd never cared enough to find out. All he cared about was that it was quiet, they had plenty of corners and little tables where he could be alone, the staff never bothered him with anything besides getting his drink order, and they didn't water down the sake. That's all he needed. Now that he was off duty, he could really go for a saucer of warm sake before he headed home. He could even pick up a small container of their finest brew to bring to the memorial stone tomorrow as an offering.

Sliding open the door, he wasn't surprised by the scarcity of patrons at this hour. After three in the morning, most of the barflies were either passed out in their own homes or in the drunk tank. Most of the people still around were like him, shinobi who either had just come off duty and wanted a drink before hitting the sack or could seriously hold their liquor. Like this lovely little thing he saw sitting at the bar. There was a small pyramid of empty sake bottles tottering next to her, reaching towards the ceiling. The chunin vest and baggy pants did precious little to hide the curve of her hips and firm little ass. She was also probably quite plastered by now and most likely wouldn't remember anything in the morning. Maybe he'd take her home for the night, it'd been a while since his last one night stand and he was a hot-blooded male brimming with teenaged hormones.

Signaling to the bartender for his usual cup of warm sake, Kakashi walked slowly up behind the intended target of his next brief conquest. And then she turned to face whoever was approaching her, and he felt his breath taken away as he recognized her. Light brown hair framed a fine featured, almost angelic face. Crimson lips curled into a slightly drunken grin, full and seeming to exude an aura crying out for people to kiss them. And deep, soulful brown eyes with a mild haunted look that would make even the hardest of hearts want to embrace her and make her pain go away. It had been over three years since he'd last seen her, since he'd determined that she was no longer in danger of harming herself and that his duty to her brother's memory had been done. And he had to say that the years had been extremely kind to Hayabusa Mina.

That was his first thought. His second was that if Zin had still been alive, then the man would have ripped out his spleen and forced him to eat it for looking at his little sister like that. Alix probably would have watched and given his elder brother pointers for how to inflict the most pain.

At almost the same instant that he recognized her, she recognized him. After dropping off Naruto and making her escape from the Hokage Tower, Mina had ditched the mask and cloak in a sewer and headed for the nearest bar, namely this place. It'd been hard parting from Naruto again even if it had been necessary, part of her wanting to say to hell with Konoha and taking him away from this lousy place where she could raise him without hate or the Hokage's interference. There were only two things stopping her from doing just that, the uncertainty of being able to take care of Naruto after she was labeled as a missing nin and the Hunters started coming after her, and the fact that despite all of the pain and bad memories Konoha was Naruto's home just as it was hers. So she came to get drunk, drown her doubts and sorrows, and silently celebrate the brief reunion with her adopted little brother. And if Hatake Kakashi was here, well he might as well join in the celebration even if he didn't know that she was even celebrating.

Smiling in the manner reserved only for the truly drunk, the kunoichi waved him over enthusiastically. Trying not to notice how her pert breasts gave a little jiggle inside of her flak jacket every time she waved at him, Kakashi slowly walked over to the barstool next to her. All the time, he was mentally chanting to himself. _"She's sempai's little sister. I will not have sexual thoughts about sempai's little sister. That's right Kakashi, just repeat. You will not ogle Mina. You will not ogle Mina. You will not ogle Mina."_

Taking a seat beside her, the young ANBU captain said the first thing that came to his mind. "Yo."

Evidently, this was extremely humorous as the kunoichi broke down into giggles. Arching an eyebrow, Kakashi just sat and waited for her to compose herself. It seemed as though she was a bit more drunk then he'd first thought. If he were any other man, he probably would have lost himself in the bell like chime of her laughter. But he was Hatake Kakashi. Though he hid it well while outside of battle, he had an iron will and steely control over himself. He'd forbidden himself from being attracted to Mina, and he had every intention of following that mandate. He wasn't sitting there enthralled at the way light seemed to dance in her eyes or how she rested her forehead against her palm as she giggled in amusement. He was just… observing her actions for future reference.

Finally, her giggling fit slowed down into light chuckles. Turning to him, she raised her cup to him in salute. "I've only spoken with you twice before in my life, Hatake-san. Yet somehow, that word just seems to fit you like a glove."

She smiled at him, and his eye curled up into what was almost the shape of an upside down "u" as he grinned back at her. For a few minutes there was silence between them as she turned her full attention back to her sake and his drink arrived. After Mina had drained her saucer and begun pouring herself another, she turned her head slightly to look at him again. "Word on the rumor mill is that I owe you much belated congratulations. ANBU captain after just a year of active service. And if the other rumors concerning you are to be believed, in the three years that you've been a captain you've maintained a ninety-eight point seven percent total success rate with no casualties on your squad. Most impressive, Hatake-san. Even after more than three years of exemplary service, my brother wasn't even close to making captain. You really are amongst the best of the best, aren't you?"

Kakashi's single visible eye looked pained and he shook his head ruefully. "Whatever happened to the whole concept of secret identities? Is there a listing for ANBU in the Konoha yellow pages or something?"

Mina chuckled, laying her head down on the counter and tracing her finger along the rim of her cup as she stared at him with amusement sparkling in her eyes. Oh yes, she was well and truly drunk. "You forget that this is a village of ninjas, most of whom are experts at finding every little shred of information they come across about everything. Not to mention that I've noticed that Konoha shinobi are some of the biggest gossips on the planet. And I'm not even talking about the kunoichi, Hatake-san."

Now it was his turn to chuckle, as he pulled his mask down just slightly. A minor genjutsu kept her from seeing just what the mask hid, a trick that he'd come up with years ago back when his dreaded fangirls were desperately trying to get a glimpse underneath the mask. Unfortunately, sometimes he forgot to put the genjutsu up. The handful of incidents that had occurred, mostly at bars and restaurants, where people had seen his face had mostly been… embarrassing, to say the least. No straight man wanted to see another man blushing from looking at their face. The mask was a public service to Konoha. Without it, there'd be riots of frenzied females wherever he went. Why the kami had decided to curse him with his father's looks, he would never know. Sipping at his sake, he pulled his mask back up and set the saucer down before turning to face her again.

"Kakashi."

She blinked in confusion, the alcohol muddling her brain as she stared owlishly up at him. "Huh?"

"My name. Kakashi. You can use it, you know. You don't have to keep calling me Hatake-san. Too formal for my tastes."

Confusion was replaced with understanding, and her lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "Ah, so sorry Kakashi-jiji. Just trying to pay my respects to my elders and all."

An eyebrow arched up in curiosity as the Copy-Nin held in his laughter. "Kakashi-jiji?"

Mina just smirked unrepentantly, eyes dancing with inner laughter. "Well you've got to admit, that silver hair of yours does make you look like a regular old-timer. Though you'd definitely be the hottest grandpa in the Five Elemental Nations."

He couldn't help himself. He laughed. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't slept in nearly forty hours because he'd been so busy on duty. Maybe it was the alcohol just starting to affect his brain. Whatever the reason, he laughed. For the first time since his sensei and father figure died defending Konohagakure, he gave a true, genuine laugh. He wondered if Mina knew just how… refreshing her personality was when she was drunk. Only Arashi-sensei had teased and joked with him; he and Obito had been too busy hating each others guts to partake in regular good natured teasing and Rin had been one of his fangirls who wouldn't dream of teasing her "Kakashi-kun" lest she offend him. To have someone tease him and joke around with him again, it felt… kind of special.

Mina smiled drunkenly at her companion. _"Damn, but he has a nice laugh. He should do it more often. Maybe lose the mask and actually smile while he's at it? Hmmm… Nah."_

As Mina turned to her last bottle of sake, Kakashi spoke again. "Of course, you shouldn't just be congratulating me on my successes. I should be congratulating this 'Lone Falcon' I keep hearing about."

She turned back to him, surprise etched on her face. His response was just to smile widely underneath the mask. "Don't be surprised. When you're stuck at headquarters all day, you're bound to hear all about the up and coming ninja who show the potential to eventually become elites. Your record is exceedingly impressive, Hayabusa-san…"

Mina raised a hand to silence him as she glowered right in his face. "It's Mina, baka. If I can call you Kakashi then you'd damn well better be calling me Mina."

Kakashi's eye curved up into another smile. "Alright, Mina-chan…"

"OI! Its MINA, teme! Don't push it!"

If anything, Kakashi's smile just grew wider. It wasn't realized very often, but he did have two hobbies aside from reading. Namely, they were making his subordinates lives a living yet amusing hell, and teasing his colleagues. And Mina just made such a grand target for a little friendly teasing. "Wouldn't dream of it, Mina-chan."

The kunoichi's voice was little more than a guttural roar by this point. "KAKASHI-TEME!"

The masked shinobi just chuckled and took another sip of his sake. This reminded him of the happier times, back when Obito was still alive and the two of them were constantly at each other's throats. Of course since Mina was female, he could tease and poke fun at her in ways that he never could with Obito or with the few close acquaintances he had now amongst Konoha's male shinobi population. "You know that you're cute when your face gets flushed with rage, Mina-chan?"

Mina's face grew flushed again, although this time it wasn't with anger. She just turned from him and banged her head gently against the bar as she muttered obscenities against him, his ancestors, and men in general. For what had to be at least the fourth time tonight, Kakashi chuckled again. Despite the fact that this was the anniversary of his sensei's death and he hadn't been able to spend more than a couple of hours at the memorial stone, this had turned into an unexpectedly good day. The last survivor of the Hayabusa clan had proved to be great entertainment. Draining the last of his sake, his voice turned serious again. "Seriously, Mina-san. You've done your family proud. There are precious few shinobi who've ever had as many successful missions in as short of a time as you have, and all of them have grown to take their places amongst Konoha's elite. I imagine that you'll be nominated to try for jonin within a couple of years."

At this Mina grew quiet and somber, staring into her now empty cup as if it held the answers to life, the universe, and everything. Kakashi was starting to become concerned. From what little he'd seen of her today, he assumed that this quiet behavior was unlike her. Softly, she spoke up. "Actually, the Hokage gave me my nomination for the jonin exams just a few hours ago, after I got back from a mission. In a few months, I'll be in Suna, competing for the right to be a jonin."

Kakashi didn't have to be a genius with a talent for reading people to detect the unsaid "But…" in her tone. "But something about the exams are troubling you?"

Tears welled in her eyes and she laughed bitterly. "When he first told me, I was excited. But now, I don't think I can do it. I'm not strong enough. I'm not strong enough to protect the people precious to me, so what makes me think that I'm strong enough to be a jonin?"

Suddenly a callused yet gentle hand reached out and cradled her face. The kunoichi was totally surprised as Kakashi turned her to face him, his eye showing that he was deadly serious. "Don't say that. You're a Hayabusa, the last member of a celebrated clan filled with heroes of this village. You've worked hard and become strong these past few years. I know that today brings up memories. But there was nothing you could have done back then. If you'd gone with Zin and Alix, then you would have died along with them."

Mina flushed as he kept her gaze fixed on him. Oh kami, had she said that aloud? Fortunately, he thought that she'd been talking about her brothers. He couldn't possibly know about her connection to Naruto. Even the ANBU that had stopped her from visiting Naruto when he was just an infant didn't know her real connection to the boy, only she and the Hokage knew the truth. Working through her intoxication, the kunoichi decided that perhaps, she could use this. She could unload her worries and fears about her failures to protect Naruto to somebody who understood what it was like to fail those close to you, and he wouldn't even know what she was really talking about.

Letting the sorrow that she'd held inside come out, she stared into Kakashi's single eye, tears trickling down her face and splashing gently upon the counter top. Startled by her show of weakness, Kakashi didn't move when she leaned against him, wrapping her arms around him as she cried into his jonin vest. Awkwardly, he patted her on the back. He supposed that she could be forgiven for her lack of control right now. After all she was drunk, and today was the hardest day of the year for her. Squeezing him tightly, the kunoichi let loose years worth of suppressed emotions, emotions that she'd believed dead and gone after she'd walled them away. Emotions that had started to leak out just a few hours ago, when a young blonde who came barreling into her life again cracked her emotional barriers. Shuddering, she held onto Kakashi even tighter; the Copy-Nin could feel his ribs creaking but he refused to complain.

"What if I find someone new to care about, Kakashi? What if they depend on me to fight for them, to protect them? Can I be strong enough?"

Kakashi licked his suddenly dry lips, hiding his nervousness underneath his mask. "_Damnit, I'm not good with this emotional shit. What to say? What to say? Come on Kakashi no baka, people are always calling you a genius. Time to prove them right. Obito, if you're watching this and laughing at me right now, I swear to kami you bastard that as soon as I'm up there with you I will beat your ass."_

Trusting to luck, the veteran shinobi just started talking and carefully let the words flow out of his mouth. "You're Hayabusa Mina. If you worry and care as much about this theoretical person as you are now, then you'll be as strong as you need to be for them."

Kakashi's words were true and from the heart, at least as much as anything he said was. Mina could tell that he was in no way opening himself up to her like she was to him, but still his words meant something. And they did make her feel better. But she still wasn't convinced. "Even if I'm strong enough to protect my precious people, what if there's something in the way, keeping me from them? What if I can't conquer an obstacle like that with just strength? What then?"

Again, Kakashi's answer was simple. "Then you'll find a way around it, because you need to."

That was all she needed to hear to firm her resolve. Kakashi was right. Absolutely right. She'd be strong, because Naruto needed her to be strong. She'd find a way around the Hokage's orders, because Naruto needed her to. She had something, someone, precious to fight for. She would not, could not, lose. She was Hayabusa Mina, last heiress to the Hayabusa Clan, sister of the late Hayabusa Zin and Alix, the Lone Falcon of Konohagakure, and adoptive older sister of Uzumaki Naruto. She would triumph and give Naruto some small measure of the life he deserved, so help her Kami-sama.

Leaning away from Kakashi, Mina stared him in the eye, her eyes steely and resolved in spite of the sake still in her system. Her voice was firm, and brokered no argument. "Train with me, Hatake. Help make me stronger. Make me strong enough to be a jonin. Strong enough to protect what's precious to me, so I don't ever have to lose someone I care about again."

Kakashi paused and considered for a long moment, before his eye curled up into a smile. Eh, what the hell. It wasn't like he did anything useful in his free time. And he did still owe Zin for the months the man had spent introducing him to the ANBU unit. It couldn't hurt, having a sparring partner for a bit. "I have a mission in a few days and I'll be away for a bit, but I can start helping you out two weeks from now. You've got a deal."

Mina nodded sharply to show that she understood and accepted. Then her serious façade melted away and she smiled a drunken smile surely but still one of the first honest smiles that she'd given in over a year. Laughing in drunken glee, she hugged him tightly then walked off, leaving a small wad of ryo notes on the bar for her tab and grabbing her cloak off of the barstool. She paused in mid step as she was leaving the bar, then in a moment of impulsiveness leaned over towards her new training partner and planted a sloppy kiss on the side of his masked cheek. Smirking, she gave him a jaunty wave and strode out of the bar, an obvious and alluring sway to her steps.

If someone had been watching closely, they could have made out Kakashi's blush right through his mask. He'd been kissed lots of times. Most of them were far wilder and much more passionate than that friendly little peck on the cheek. By all rights, such a minor show of friendly affection shouldn't affect him at all. But still, it had to have been the purest, most innocent kiss that he'd ever received. A kiss given from one friend to another, even if he didn't know just how they'd become so friendly with each other just from one conversation after not having seen each other in nearly four years. That kiss meant far more to him than any other that he'd ever experienced in his life. Smiling stupidly behind his mask, Kakashi absently stared at her swaying hips as she exited the building. "_Damn, I hate to see her leave but I love watching her go."_

Realizing his thoughts, he groaned in frustration before sitting back down and banging his head against the bar. Damn it all straight to the deepest pits of hell. He was in lust with Hayabusa Mina. Oh, if Zin were still alive he'd already be dead ten times over just for having his eyes on Mina's ass. And the worst thing was, he couldn't do anything about his sudden desire for the kunoichi, even if the simplest thing to get over this feeling of lust for her would be to bed her and be done with it for the rest of his life. He'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't make any advances on her, and his self-control would force him to keep to his word. Hopefully, this would pass. He'd find some other attractive young woman, bed her, and forget all about any thoughts regarding Mina that were not in regards to their shinobi careers. Obito probably really was laughing his ass off up there, Arashi-sensei too in all likely hood. He just hoped that Zin and Alix hadn't see their little encounter, or the two would probably swoop straight down from heaven as avenging spirits to make his life a living hell.

Head lying on the table, he breathed in deeply. Amidst the smells of wood, alcohol, and a bit of cigarette smoke was a fainter, yet more distinct scent coming from the stool that Mina had been seated at. It was a bold mix of various smells, with liberal doses of old blood, sweat, weapon oil, booze, leather, and dirt, but with a subtle underlying aroma of vanilla and a hint of various fruits that gave Mina's scent a distinctive feminine feeling. It was a unique, yet familiar scent. Kakashi could swear that he'd come across it recently. Now if he could just remember where…

His visible eye widening in shock, Kakashi shot up in his seat and spun around to stare at the exit Mina had used. Regaining his composure, Kakashi's eye narrowed and one could tell that he was frowning underneath his mask. He'd come across that scent once already tonight, at a scene where six civilians had been assaulted and slightly maimed. What cause could Hayabusa Mina, arguably one of the strongest kunoichi in Konoha right now, have for terrifying and scarring citizens of the village? He wouldn't report this, out of respect to the bond of camaraderie the two of them had formed tonight. But he'd be watching her during these future training sessions of theirs and when she was least expecting surveillance. And she'd better have a damn good reason for the actions that she'd taken tonight. Because if she was a threat in any way to the village and the people that his sensei had given his life for, then Hayabusa Mina would have Hatake Kakashi to deal with.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Unaware of Kakashi's darkened thoughts; Mina was practically humming and skipping on her way home. Those that saw her on the street and knew her immediately turned around and fled the other way, knowing that a cheerful Mina had to be a sign of the impending apocalypse. For the first time in a long time, Mina felt hopeful. She would become jonin with Kakashi's help thus gaining greater status that she could use in the village, she would watch Naruto from the shadows and keep his life from becoming a living hell, and eventually she would either change Sarutobi's mind or find a way around his rules. She had her reason for living back again, and it felt great.

End of Chapter 2 

Author's Notes 2: I'd like to apologize to everyone for the length of time it took me to update. This chapter was finished back in May, but due to various issues I just didn't get around to getting it off of my computer and onto the net. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope that the wait has been worthwhile. Due to my class schedule, you shouldn't be expecting the next chapter until November, but I will do my best to get it out as fast as I can without sacrificing the quality. Keep sending me your reviews, and tell your friends that read fanfiction about me; it's your reviews and enjoyment of my fics that keep me going. Again, I thank you for your readership.

An especially big thank you goes out to my beta, Kalluwen, who offered to be my beta after reading the first chapter of this fic. They haven't gone over this chapter yet as I felt that you've all waited far too long as it is, and just wanted to get this out quickly. After they get a chance to go over this chapter and help me fix any mistakes I'll probably repost, but in the meantime please enjoy!

Ja ne, minna!

-NightHunterMGS


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